Esther Rausenberg is a photographer who started her career in Vancouver Canada, where she still lives. She studied photography initially through her high school photography programme, and since then has forged a unique direction and vision. She melds grittiness and realism with a poetic eye: “ I have always seen the world as a series of cinematic shots - somewhat akin to a really slow motion picture playing. Light and form are the keys…”
Esther brings an international perspective to her work. She travels extensively, and different series reflect Asian, Latin American and South American themes, as well as that of west-coast environments. She is always charged by the distinctiveness of urban and rural locales, working primarily in black and white. Recently, she began using colour film to capture the ever-changing moods of the season, the hidden corners of her neighbourhood of East Vancouver. She used film exclusively for this series, and the only manipulation was achieved by cross-processing the film (using slide film that is then printed as if it were the negative in conventional print processes). Through this approach, she evokes a mood that is both familiar and surreal.
As a member of the Canadian public art group La Raza, Esther was the documentary photographer for this group’s recent tours of Argentina (2006) and Mexico (2005) in a cultural exchange to paint murals. At the same time, she developed another series of photographs reflecting cemeteries/shrines in Mexico, Argentina and Canada. These images form the basis for a series addressing how different cultures view, memorialize and ritualize death.
November 2006
