How would you best describe your aesthetic?

My photography balances between fashion/commercial and fine art, embodies the formal elements of painting, taken in tradition of chiaroscuro. Very often there is a hidden message, something referring to an outside content. I always strive to capture authentic expression with an underlaying deeper meaning. I like juxtapositions of soft and crude, subtle and brutal, innocent and perversive. I combine vast spaces with details, contrast the static with the dynamic analogically. My aesthetic can be described as raw - both as convention of my pictures and what they present and as an approach towards marginalizing retouch. I do however use formal techniques - manipulate the light, introduce flashes or blurry elements.

I use analog techniques for projects that are the most significant to me. Structure of the grain, it's plumpness and plasticity create a unique tissue and give pictures depth. Such cannot be recreated with pixels.

What are your greatest inspirations as an artist?

There are three fields that I find very influential in terms of my work.

Painting: I used to dislike old masters. It took me some time to find amazing depth in their works. Now I truly enjoy psychological truth depicted by Vermeer, Van Eyck, Bosch, Caravaggio, Velazquez, Goya, Ingres or Cranach the Elder. I am fascinated with paintings pairing vitality, erotism and death. I find Gentileschi's 'Judith Slaying Holofernes' or Mantegna's 'Lamentation over the Dead Christ' strikingly evocative.

Cinema: While studying my biggest dream was to become a film director, now the greatest satisfaction comes from directing my photo shoots. You may say that I take aesthetics from paintings and mood from films. I like Bergman for his gloominess, Fellini for his love of life, Jarman for aesthetic and ambience. Antonioni's early works are remarkable. And Greenaway's 'A Zed & Two Noughts' is the best film I have ever seen.

Lastly, my inspiration comes from other photographers' work as well. I relish Araki's creativity. Bill Henson's sublime light and innocent yet erotic pictures are captivating. I am also interested in Robin Schwartz's projects - the series portraying his daughter inspired me to work on a similar project with my daughter.

Can you discuss both your illustrative work and work as a photographer? What are the correlations if any between the two?

In my drawing the subconsciousness plays a very important role. When I start drawing I don't even know what the drawing will turn out to be. I don't plan in advance, nor anticipate a certain outcome. Photography is a more conscious process I have further control over. It involves pre-shoot preparation, but despite that when it comes to taking the picture a sensation similar to what I feel when I draw evokes inside me. I see an outline of a photograph, it derives from my visions and is released at the moment of capturing an image. This constitutes a certain conviction in me when I shoot. I think both drawings and visions of my photos come from the same place in my mind.

I have been very busy with my photo projects recently, but I keep an idea of melding the two techniques in my head.

What would your dream project be?

I am currently working on a number of projects - some of them are works on nudity, the others are confronting symbolic language of religious paintings with language of contemporary visual culture. I want to continue exploring those fields. My dream project resembles an artistic experiment recorded in photographs. For my models I would choose a number of people - expressive, diverse and exuding erotism characters. My role would be of a complex nature. I see myself acting like a director - triggering their hidden instincts, undisclosed desires, prime motives - and capturing what is unveiled like a photographer. I wish to show how usual patterns of interaction are broken as my presence would become unnoticed amidst developing situation. Though I want to focus on nudity, I can see how fashion could complete this project by highlighting each model's individuality. I'd like this realization to be a long-term work designed for a larger scale.

Who is most inspirational to you as an artist and why?

I believe there is a difference between taking inspiration from art itself and from artists' attitude towards their art and creative process. I find the latter stimulating - it is Caravaggio's courage to paint Christ with dirty nails or Teller's characteristic canon-breaking outlook on photography that are great examples of my inspiration. Yet, the one I appreciate the most is Araki's approach. He feels an urge to record every detail in his environment he reckons meaningful, holds a specific value to. He brings several different cameras to one photo set, simultaneously shoots a number of different projects and, what I love the most about him, deems himself as a diarist. Through his life and his projects such as 'Sentimental Journey' and 'White Journey' he is telling a story about his one true love, his wife. He demonstrates that photography and life are the same thing. I compare our attitudes and see many similarities.

Do you have a specific muse? Or perhaps an icon which inspires your work/ drives your aesthetic? If so who are they and why?

There is a person who inspirits me in a way a muse does, her name is very symbolic and inspiring - Eva. I compare her to Tilda Swinton, they do not look alike, but share a similar kind of beauty - not obvious and simple, rather original and noble. When we worked together for the first time, I was impressed by our collaboration and understanding so much that I have taken on a long-term project with her. It balances between fashion and nudity, fuses them.

Do you have someone (designer, publication?) that would be your dream client?

I really like 'A magazine curated by', 'Purple', 'Paradis', as well as magazines focused on nudity and soft erotic themes, like 'S Magazine'. Having my pictures published in any of the above would definitely be a dream come true.

Fashion-wise, I rather favor particular collections than designers/labels. I am always looking for something unexpected that is revealing original ideas. Lately I was impressed by Viktor&Rolf's and McQueen's SS 2010 collections.

What are your future aspirations for your art?

I want to be recognized more as an artist than as a commercial photographer. Parallel to my artistic work, I would like to collaborate with magazines and commercial clients. My goal is to be able to stay within my aesthetic convention and retain a certain freedom of setting rules concerning what my work for such clients would be like.