We are delighted to announce that photographer Leia Ankers has joined the MAP6 collective!. Below is a brief interview where she discuses her photographic practice, her influences and her latest project.
Can you share with us your journey in photography – from your inspirations and education to your current practice?
I spent a lot of my childhood at home due to my disability, I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3. I discovered photography in these years and used it as a way of having fun and coping whilst I was at home. These personal differences from a young age introduced me to the experience of stigma, of being the ‘other’ and as I got older, I decided I wanted to take this into my photographic work whilst studying my BA in photography. During my second year of studying I made the series ‘The same as you’. Prior to my BA I studied a Diploma at college, and I always found myself referencing Diane Arbus in my sketchbooks. One of the first photobooks I owned was also by her.
What motivates your photographic practice?
I would say what motivates me most is just getting outside, talking, and meeting new people, all in an effort to capture and convey a story I’m passionate about and that resonates with me. I spent so many years of my life inside that I began to fear myself as being a hermit. I was so used to the surroundings of my family home that I started to fear new environments and isolate myself. I was in search of a tool that would put me in a position to have to be out engaging with the world. I soon started to realise that as soon as I had a camera in my hands this mental block disappeared, almost like magic. This motivates me, by overcoming challenges that I never thought would be possible.
Tell us a little about your project The same as you and your recent exhibition.
The series began from my own personal story of having a disability. Since a young age I have stigmatised myself through my differences. I wanted to change the notion of people with dual sensory impairment and additional disabilities. In the series, my aim was to represent the perception of disability. I met both Michelle and Cordelia through a friend of my mothers, named Birgit. Birgit is Cordelia and Michelle’s carer. I shared my story of living with a disability with Birgit when we first met, and this friendship blossomed between us both through the openness of our conversation. Through my closeness with Birgit, it enabled Cordelia and Michelle to trust me, I believe trust is what binds a photographer with a sitter, and this allowed me to build the relationship I did with them. It was important to gain trust, as Michelle had never been photographed by a photographer before.
The series was about capturing both their senses and how their other senses have been heightened since sight for Michelle and hearing for Cordelia has been lost. It was important to photograph their hands and them both touching and feeling the environment around them, photographing the record player and how it created this vibration experience for Michelle, influencing her heart rate, breathing and emotions. It helps both of them understand and perceive the world around them. Photographing them in their environments was important as everything is placed precisely to create everyday maps for them to navigate, without order and routine it would be difficult for them. After spending time with Cordelia and Michelle, I was completely in awe of them and their stories. I met many inspiring individuals during this series, but I included Cordelia and Michelle in the final body of work as they resonated with me most. It only felt right to have them both part of the series and I wanted their stories to be heard and seen.
I was fortunate to recently be invited to exhibit my portrait titled ‘Cordelia’ at Galerie Joseph part of Image Nation Paris for the Just Women Exhibition.
If you could work collaboratively with one photographer – living or dead – who would it be and why?
Nan Goldin. I admired Nan Goldin’s work whilst studying, especially after my trip to New York and viewing Goldin’s Multimedia installation at MoMA. This was one of the first exhibitions I had ever viewed. I remember James Brown ‘This is a mans world’ playing loudly and echoing through the room. This installation created an experience for the viewer and made you feel like you had stepped into the images, feeling the intimacy of Goldin’s work. I admired the whole atmosphere and how it brought like-minded individuals together, creating this sense of community through the exhibition.
You can find out more about Leia on her website here.