The Others
Meet The Others: Gina Soden
The Game Changers. The Rule Breakers. The Innovators. Discover some of the fantastic emerging talent showcasing their work at The Other Art Fair.
The Other Art Fair’s Gina Soden is a full-time artist finding the beauty in abandoned locations. Gina travels the world taking photographs of large, empty, and sometimes derelict buildings and structures; creating a beautiful work of art out of forgotten places.
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How would you describe your artwork?
I research, travel to and photograph abandoned buildings throughout Europe . I like to meticulously compose my imagery, and create narratives within the work putting an emphasis on the texture and colour of the spaces I shoot. I like to take viewers back to the past and a time when these structures were fully functional and of service to people, at the same time highlighting their painfully slow collapse and the beauty within.
What does making art mean to you?
Everything! Shooting and traveling to these locations as a full time job is a dream come true really! It’s been an amazing journey so far – I feel very lucky! My work seems to appeal to a varied audience, including big collectors. I have exhibited with some incredible galleries and have loved showing at The Other Art Fair . It is great to get a good selection of feedback from these different sources.
How did you get started making art?
This life-changing adventure started early 2009. I was browsing the local area looking for locations for portrait shoots on Google Maps and came across an old lab facility. I had just finished college and was still shooting film at that time – so I went to the lab and discovered that the fences had holes in them all around the site. I thought: “Well others have been in, so why not me?!” I decided to sneak in and take a look. It was fascinating – I was instantly drawn in to finding out what had happened, what was left, and I loved the rebellious side to it – being somewhere not many venture to and would not really know about. I then developed the film (Portra 800 if I recall correctly) and after scanning in the negatives and looking at the results – I was immediately drawn to this unseen (to many) subject in that state.
I then found an article about an abandoned hospital in London, and went 4 times in one week, gave up my full time job and eventually made a scary move to become an artist full time – I don’t regret a thing.
What is it like to be a part of The Other Art Fair?
I love it – meeting new artist friends, showing my work to different people each time, building relationships and networking, getting some great contacts. It’s a great atmosphere, really laid back and fun. I have loved every single fair – each one has been really beneficial.
