A Conversation with Aleksei Kazantsev
By Court Ludwick
Aleksei Kazantsev is a photographer based out of Antwerp, Belgium, whose images invite viewers to experience disorientation and confront the uncanny. His work—much of which draws inspiration from archetypal images, the collective unconscious, and hypnotic states of mind—has been showcased in galleries across Europe, in places like L'Enfant Sauvage, Pulsar, LWM18, and National 55.
Recently, we talked with Aleksei about his art, his influences—which include other photographers like Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sally Mann, and Nobuyoshi Araki—and what he’s up to now.
©Aleksei Kazantsev, from Relaxing Chamber
You’ve discussed how some of the first photographs you took—at seven years old, no less—appear in your series (and recently published book), Relaxing Chamber. Did you always feel called to photography? How has your photography evolved over the years?
I was fascinated by the photographic process when I received my first camera at the age of seven, much like any other child. I lost interest as I grew up but returned to photography thirty years later. The most significant evolution in my work has been the use of both my own and archival images as raw material, which I manipulate through cropping and fragmentation to extract the image from its original context.
[…] the influence is the first image, then the next, then a feeling that there is something binding them together.
©Aleksei Kazantsev, from Relaxing Chamber
Some of my favorite images of yours come from this series—a collection that has been said to grapple with “the archetypal symbolism of animals in collective unconscious memory, altered states of consciousness in trance and hypnosis, and related phenomena such as feelings of euphoria, isolation and dissociation in everyday life.” Is Jung an influence? Freud?
With Relaxing Chamber, as with other projects, the influence is the first image, then the next, then a feeling that there is something binding them together. As Relaxing Chamber became a series, I started to look for an explanation for myself as to why I put it all together. That led me to learn a little more than common knowledge about theories of the collective unconscious, archetypal symbolism, the trance state of mind, shamanism, chaos magic, atavistic nostalgia, etc.
If you had to choose one Jungian archetype to symbolize your body of work, which would you say?
The Shadow. Because “Darkness is a much bigger possibility than light.”
Speaking of contrasts, I’m intrigued by the ones that appear in your Relaxing Chamber series—and all they gesture toward. The blurring between human and animal that your images enact is striking, and the questions your photographs nod toward are actually questions that I’ve found myself circling around lately—particularly, how humans seemingly view other organisms through a hierarchal lens, starting with us at the top and going down from there (and further considering what our specific positionality may unintentionally cause?)…What inspired these contrasts?
Relaxing Chamber is a morbid symbol, a joke about human perception of other species. The inspiration came from two images, two fragments. One was a fragment of an animal in a cage, and another was a fragment of a human in a trance state.
Relaxing Chamber is a morbid symbol, a joke about human perception of other species.
Contrasts in some shape or form show up in much of your other work as well. What are you currently working on?
I am working on three projects currently: time travel, fear not, and go to hell.
Do you have a favorite photograph from these projects?
This [below image] is one of my favorite images from the time travel series.
©Aleksei Kazantsev
What draws you to this image?
My mind tries to pin it in time but jumps between the moment when it was shot, the moment when the film was processed with a fault, the moment when I found the film, the moment when I cropped this image, and the present moment when I look at it. I am fascinated by this effect of perceptual multi-stability, which is why I like it.
This photograph reminds me of another phrase that has been attached to your work: “liminal states of mind.” I’m curious—how would you define this phrase?
A state of detachment from your ordinary sense of self. Any form of trance state. A feeling of confusion.
Do you have a favorite liminal space (apart from the mind!)?
Yes, a night train.
The image of a night train makes me think of your blurred images, how some of your photography emulates movement and presents somewhat obscured subjects. What is the process like to capture these particular images? How much direction—or lack thereof—do you prefer giving your models?
Movement comes from darkness. In rare cases when I do direct my models, I give very precise directions and wait for accidents to happen. When they do, I follow them.
©Aleksei Kazantsev
Do you have a dream subject you’d like to shoot? Person? Place? Some liminal dreamscape?
No, I don't believe the subject is important.
What is important? What impact do you want your work to have on the viewer?
Confusion. Disorientation. A feeling of something familiar but difficult to define.
Aleksei Kazantsev’s (@akapicdotcom) photography and other works can be found on his website.
Interview conducted by Court Ludwick.