Artist Biographies

Esther Rausenberg

Esther began photographing as a teenager through her high school photography program, although in her words she as always seen the world as a series of cinematic shots - somewhat akin to a really slow motion picture playing.

She has travelled extensively, and is always charged by the distinctiveness of different urban and rural environments. Primarily, she works in black and white to capture a certain grittiness or realism of the countries she travels to.

Recently, she decided to challenge herself with an environment that was closer to home, an environment that she has looked at in all seasons and conditions over the past thirty years, the historic community of Strathcona, Vancouver. She began using colour film in order to capture the ever-changing moods of the season, the hidden corners of her neighbourhood, the secret gardens, and the transient, shifting qualities inherent in the play of light and shadow. 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 seeks to evoke a mood that is both familiar and surreal.

Photos, for Esther, are studies of time, light and shadow, capturing change and evoking memories. She is currently working on two projects, the 'Cool Project', a series of photos and anecdotes of the interiors of refrigerators and cemeteries/shrines in Mexico, Argentina and Canada

View artworks by Esther Rausenberg »

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