In its continuation to showcase the most groundbreaking and innovative talents in contemporary art, De Re Gallery debuted its Desert Voices exhibition on Thursday, July 16, at 7:00 p.m. Featuring the iconic images of artists Pamela Littky and Stefanie Schneider, this exhibition pays homage to the distinctive biological habitats of rural desert towns.
In one of art’s most prominent galleries, this opening was the most desired event of the night. Celebrity guests included Emily Ratajkowski, Nev Schulman and Max Joseph of Catfish, Michelle Branch, Terrell Owens, Cameron Crowe, and Stephanie Bauer of ‘Access Hollywood’ to name a few. Educated Guess and Peroni sponsored the beautiful exhibition with lovely red and white wine and beer, provided to guests throughout the evening.
Pamela Littky
Where did you study?
I went to the University of Arizona and studied art and design.
Can you tell me how you ended up becoming a photographer?
I had loved shooting since I was a little kid. When I went to college, I ended up studying art and design, but I had a photography class that I loved. I got a job in design as an art director when I got out of school, but what I really wanted to do was be shooting. Ultimately, I quit my job to pursue photography full time.
What was the first camera that you got? And what’s your current equipment?
The first camera I ever used was a Nikon. It was my dad’s camera, he was an avid photographer and he would let me shoot with that. I still love Nikon. These days I shoot with a Mamiya RZ67 and a Nikon F4 for film, and a Hasselblad or Canon 5D Mark III for digital.
Do you have an all time favorite camera/lens combination?
I love the wider lenses: a 35mm lens when shooting 35mm or a 50mm and 65mm on medium format.
Tell us about your last exhibition in LA, Desert Voices?
Desert Voices at De Re Gallery exhibited images from my ‘Gateway to Death Valley’ series in which I captured scenes from the the two towns that bookend Death Valley: Baker, CA and Beatty, NV. The hyperreal quality of my images juxtaposed with Stefanie Schneider’s dreamy desert polaroids made for an interesting tableau.
What is your major influence? What inspires you?
I find inspiration everywhere. I love traveling and definitely get a ton of inspiration that way, even if it’s just a road trip a couple hundred miles from home.
What do you love most about creating and being an artist?
I get so much joy out of shooting, especially when I stumble upon something either totally compelling or even completely mundane. I love telling that story in a single frame.
What other artists do you admire (past or present)?
I love what Alec Soth is doing. I also have been a longtime fan of Larry Sultan, Stephen Shore, Diane Arbus, Eggleston and Joel Sternfeld.
What’s the best advice you ever received?
The best advice I ever received is to constantly be shooting, which incidentally is the advice I give to young photographers as well.
How does a normal day in your life look like?
There’s really not a normal day per se. No two days are alike. Even when I have a plan for the day, it never goes completely as expected. However, the day always starts the same. I wake up and have breakfast. Beyond that, it’s a crap shoot and runs the gamut from a shoot or production day to working in the studio or out in the field on personal work. As emails roll in, the trajectory of the day always seems to change.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
I hope to be creating art for as long as I’m inspired.
Where our readers can follow you?
Instagram is my favorite of all social media. I’m also on Facebook and Twitter. @pamelalittky
Stefanie Schneider
Where did you study?
I studied at the Folkwangschule in Essen.
Can you tell me how you ended up becoming a photographer?
I’m an artist. I have always been an artist.
What was the first camera that you got? And what’s your current equipment?
I was 14 when my grandmother gave me her Canon T-70. I now have a large assortment of Polaroid cameras, but the equipment is just a vehicle for the journey to the result.
Do you have an all time favorite camera/lens combination?
SX-70 camera with SX-70 Polaroid film
Tell us about your last exhibition in LA, Desert Voices?
I wish I could have been there, but I’m in Berlin working on post for the summer. From what I can see online, showing Pamela Littky’s and my work together is an interesting combination.
What is your major influence? What inspires you?
Love, love
What do you love most about creating and being an artist?
I love freedom, constantly reflecting life through art and the other way around, along with the endless possibilities to form your own reality.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned so far?
It’s going to be ok.
What other artists do you admire (past or present)?
I admire Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, Marina Abramović, Tracy Moffatt, Cindy Sherman, Annelies Štrba and Camille Claudel.
Do you have any advice for young photographers?
My advice for young photographers is to stay focused and truly believe strongly in what you are doing. Don’t give up, work a lot and then work even more.
What’s the best advice you ever received?
The best way to predict your future is to create it.
How does a normal day in your life look like?
That’s the thing. There is no “normal” in an artist’s life. That’s the point.
Do you have a role model?
I have many and they’re always creative, thinking, aware and caring people.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
I’m working on an exciting new project that will launch early next year. Please stay tuned and visit my website for updates: instantdreams.net
Where can our readers follow you?
I don’t want to be followed. I want to be collected.
Photo credits:
Pamela Littky, Back of the Billboard, 2010
Pamela Littty, Middle of Nowhere, 2010
Pamela Littky, Komfort, 2010
Stefanie Schneider, The Muse, 2009
Stefanie Schneider, Memories of Love, 2013
Stefanie Schneider, Max and Radha on Dirt Road, 2009
Desert Voices 6: Cameron Crowe, Pamela Littky and De Re Gallery owner Steph Sebbag
Desert Voices 4: Michelle Branch and Pamela Littky
Desert Voices 2: Emily Ratajkowski
Desert Voices 1: Stephanie Bauer
