iO. 24. New York City. Fotografin/Redakteurin/Künstlerin.

Ihr lest richtig. Ihr Name ist tatsächlich iO. Kleines i, großes O. Denn beim Eintrag in die Geburtsurkunde, sagten ihre Eltern: “Alles im Leben besteht aus Linien und Kreisen”. Vielleicht ein Indiez dafür, dass ihre Eltern von Anfang an wussten, ihr rothaariges Mädchen wird ähnlich besonders, wie ihr Rufname. iO Tillett Wright ist heute erfolgreiche Tausendsasserin mit einem alt-manhattaner Punkrock-Scharm, der in allem spricht, was sie tut. Als etablierte Fotografin, Redakteurin und ehemalige Herausgeberin des Overspray Magazines ist die gebürtige New Yorkerin mit Anfang 20 dort angekommen, wovon viele träumen. Woran liegt’s? iO macht nur genau das macht, was ihr in den Kram passt! Nun lebt sie von zwei Leidenschaften: Fotografieren und Schreiben. Mit Erfolg – Im Sommer 2009 kuratierte die engagierte Amerikanerin an der Seite einer der bekanntesten Dokumentarfotografinnen unserer Zeit, Nan Goldin, deren Ausstellung im C/O Berlin.

Oi, Oi, Oi!

1. What does the word „DOING“ mean in your world?

It means actually making something. Not procrastinating, and following a project through to completion.

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2. What does „DOING NOTHING“ mean in your world?

Bullshitting and wasting time.

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YOUR WORK

1. It all started when I …

…with an itch. You have an instinct to try something new thats scary, but you know its there and you go for it anyway. My girlfriend gave me a Richard Avedon book for Christmas one year and I spent two solid weeks on the couch researching and absorbing, and that was it. I was hooked.

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2. To me my job is like …

… not a job.

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3. A normal day at work is usually like this:

Wake up, as early as I can make myself (not that early), roll out of bed, make coffee, (no breakfast), shower and contemplate, brush teeth and think, move to my desk and make a to do list for the day or week, and start checking things off. My daily routine of actual work changes completely project to project. Sometimes I’ll spend 10 hours in the darkroom, sometimes I’ll spend nine hours writing about graffiti, sometimes I’ll spend four hours in the middle of a pile of photos and contact sheets, or scanning negatives.

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4. The biggest influence on my work has/have …

…been my father, a radical intellectual who always pushes my shit out of the box. Anders Petersen, and Daido Moriyama, the kings of black and white photography. A slew of incredible writers. The films of Jim Jarmusch, my godmother Sara Driver, and my mama’s attitude and poetry.

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5. My latest project is called:

I think it’s going to be called “All the Little Deaths”.

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6. Itʼs about …

… my first solo show of my photographs. It’s going to be a bunch of diptychs of photos from daily life that, when paired together, make your brain go new places.

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YOUR LIFE

1. This is what I am today:

An artist. A hustler. An adaptable, ever changing creature.

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2. This is what my parents always wanted:

My mother wanted me to be a staaarrrrr.. my father wants me to make something interesting and genuine.

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3. This is what I pictured to be easier in life:

umm…

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4. And this what I pictured to be a lot harder than it is/was:

Letting go and letting the universe take over.

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What is your question?

I dont need to ask a question, because its only a matter of time…

Selected works:

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Was hättest du geantwortet? Klicke hier, fülle den Bogen aus und schick uns deine Antwort plus Foto an redaktion@i-ref.de.

What would have been your answers? Click here, fill in your answers, include a picture of yourself and send it back to redaktion@i-ref.de.