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Mandyland
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by Mandy Richardson
July 15 - 21, 2010 |
Only 22 years young with no Plan B and a portfolio that would impress any creative being, photographer Luis Mora is intelligent, aware, grounded and uncensored. My pen could hardly keep up as I jotted down his reflections, wisdom, outlook and history, and my fascination with his craft only deepened through our discussion about his life as an artist.
I first noticed Luis’ work on Facebook and was struck by the purity in his images, a purity that is untainted by arrogance, which is a rare thing, especially in young artists. Luis’ focus is on art, period. Sure he has goals for the future, but his attention is on the present, and his passion is the process. In a world filled with pseudo artists looking to make it big off of one piece, one idea, one gold nugget that took 30 minutes to create, Luis stays centered in the only thing that lasts and matters: a solid base of good work.
It’s about quality, not quantity; substance, not speed; and inspiration, not infiltration, which is why Luis has nothing to prove and so much to learn. As he stretches himself through the Applied Photography program at Sheridan College, he is given a foundation of knowledge to work with, which Luis is already tweaking and experimenting with on a daily basis. He is also keen on breaking the rules, which is the mark of a true artist. His goal is to simply keep doing what he is doing to the best of his ability, learn as much as he can from every avenue available to him, and hopefully shake people up in the process.
Luis is a man of extremes, one who is not content to have his work enter middle ground when what he wants is a reaction. He wants to make you think, make you squirm, make you stop and contemplate the image in front of you. He welcomes criticism because it means he’s doing his job as an artist, and he is motivated by the critiques of others because they are the motivators to take even more risks in his work.
His recent gallery show at 170 King, a clothing store clearly willing to take a gamble, featured a number of prints by Luis, three of which had to be taken down due to repeated complaints by customers regarding their “offensive” content. The owners apologized, but Luis saw it as a compliment and something worth celebrating. Whether the pieces last an hour, a day, or a year makes no difference to him. His work is getting out there and it’s creating a reaction. What more could an artist ask for?
Born in between sewing machines and immersed in art from a young age, Luis easily made his way into fashion photography after years of watching his mother design clothing. This naturally led to a number of other outlets for his creativity, including photography, collage, drawing, painting, street art, and experiential videos. Luis also gains much of his inspiration from female South American artists and painters such as Frida Kahlo, which is evident in his Frida vs Luis Self Portrait that is nothing short of amazing.
Most known for the Luis Mora Photobooth a brilliant twist on typical club and party photography, Luis is already sought after for his unique style and innovative concepts. Photobooth is just as it sounds, a stationary set up within a club, wedding, party or other event, that people visit to get fun, candid shots of themselves and their friends that always end up looking spectacular. Club Absinthe in Hamilton houses Luis Mora’s Photobooth on certain Wednesdays and the results are always posted on the club’s group on Facebook, if you’d like to take a look.
Luis is also a regular contributor to Sheridan College’s award–winning student mag, Travis Magazine, which featured his work on the January 2010 cover for its 3rd annual photography issue. Other goodies under his belt include his solo show at The Assembly in 2009, as well as a partnered show entitled ‘Yes, I’m Analog’ with friend Trevor Ydreos at the Print Studio in Hamilton, which Luis attributes to launching his career as a photographer.
You can check out www.luismora.com to get your fill of the man whom I consider a kaleidoscope of sorts, willing to touch and taste everything he can as he develops as creative being.
herhappyhighness@gmail.com
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