A Q&A with Chloé aka GPhOZ, Photographer and Musician By Michael Kémiargola.

Michael Kémiargola: What brought you into photography?

BGPhOZ: I think I was always drawn to images. Through the scenes of daily lives, my eyes are continually seeking details that usually go unnoticed to others but that fascinate me. The subtle gesture of a person, the brightness of a light, a look, the shape of a body, etc.ut often my drive to capture all these images is prevented by a person’s right to his/her image.

MK: Is your camera your everyday companion or do you purposefully go out to take photos?

GPhOZ: It’s rare that I take pictures of live subjects. When this is the case, there is not necessarily a particular link. The relationship that might be noticeable to the trained eye is perceptible by taking the time to feel the image. That said, I still remain the guardian of the secrets those images hold. I remember every moment, every occasion, look and emotions that I feel through every shot. This is a visual diary.

MK: Is there a special connection that links you to your subjects? 

GPhOZ: Most of the images I captured so far are from Martinique; from the time I was still living there. I was inspired there … I have trouble with the light here (France). I have less time and it’s true that my dream would be to capture everything that catches my eye but here the law says that a person has the right to his/her images – and here it’s the body that I want photograph, unexpectedly – of course this is not legally possible. But I’m not giving up.

MK: What is the meaning behind the use of close-ups in your work?

GPhOZ: I didn’t even pay attention to the fact that I was taking close-ups until you mentioned it (laughs)! I do not know what to say. Probably to delicately frame the image? To influence viewers to arrive at what I was seeing? In fact, the close-ups show how my mind is trying to zoom in on a specific detail.

MK: Can you tell us something about some of the selected photos?

GPhOZ: O580: This picture is from a series of self-portraits playing a mirror game … The inspiration came when I say my reflection in a mirror, with my camera in my hands. I sized it as an opportunity to express schizophrenia, a reality I had to subject myself to when I was living with my parents, the struggles I was experiencing.

1322: I should take this hand.