Interview with Danny Johananoff — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Danny Johananoff, residing in New York, photographing for over 55 years. Known mainly for his blurred and abstract style. Danny exhibits his work in NY, Miami, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Johananoff travels around the world, searching for different cultures, opening his lens for those moments that fascinates him. When embarking on a photo expedition, Danny does not really know what he may be photographing. He leaves his mind and soul open to receive whatever calls him out there. He likes “painting” with the camera, using slow speed shutter and camera movement. The painting-like images rarely show a clear face or sharp figure. This is left for the observer’s imagination.
The images are basically created in the camera, while shooting. No post editing is applied to the blurry/movement effect.
Danny started exhibiting only in 2018. Since, his unique style has gained great momentum in the art community.
He loves sharing the images with hope that more will enjoy his particular view.

Can you pinpoint the moment you decided you wanted to become an artist?

In my mind, there is no such thing as a decision to become an artist. At the age of 6, I played classical music on the piano in front of a friendly audience. Was I an “artist”? I may have been a prodigy. At the age of 11, my father let me join him in the dark room where over the next few years I learnt to develop and print black & white and color photos and slides. In parallel, during my teenage years, I had my own pop group, me playing the guitar, earning some pocket money from that and from photographing gallery paintings for their catalogs. Was I an “artist”? I was a musician and photographer. I never recall considering myself an artist. Throughout the years, I’ve been photographing wherever I went, accumulating bundle of images. Only in the last three years, after been approached by a NY gallery wishing to represent me, I decided that I might be blessed with a title of an artist!

Where is your studio and where are you from?

My studio is at home in New York, a place where I work on my photos, almost always with music in the background. I was born in Manchester, UK and grew up in Israel. The places of work are those fascinating locations around the world, where I get to meet beautiful and interesting new cultures. I travel with my laptop as my mobile studio so I may enjoy the results of my photo expedition, there and then on the go.

Tell us a little about your artistic background. What were your first influences to be creative and become a serious artist?

When I was still at school, I used to experiment slow speed photography with my Pentax camera. I presented an image of a moving car to a photo magazine in Israel, and I won a prize. This was not an easy task, using a traditional film camera. You cannot see the result immediately, like now days, and have to wait a week or so to realize if your experiment succeeded or not. I was so happy when the digital cameras were introduced, allowing my creativity to be more easily practiced.

Can you tell us what you have going on right now?

After the last 12 months of travel restrictions, I will be on my way to Asia and the Far East, exploring new locations and cultures to capture with my camera.

Can you describe what an average working day for you is like? Do you work on many creations at once or one at a time?

My main working day is on location. It normally covers the whole day, skipping mid-day meals, leaving that for the night when I return to my temporary base. The night is used for downloading that day’s images and preparing for the next day. A photo expedition varies between 4 to 14 days in each country.

What makes your art different from others?

That is for you to judge.

In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society? What do you hope that others will gain from viewing your art?

I think that images evoke emotions. Each viewer may feel a different thing, happiness, calm connection etc. If I manage to make a person moved in any way, I’m honored.

What’s the most important element in your artwork?

The thrill I get, using my blurry photography technique, is when the outcome surprises me, and it often does. While taking a photo, I don’t really see the result through the viewfinder. The most important element in my work is to succeed to transmit my surprise and enjoyment to the viewer.

That being said, are there any lessons that you’ve learned that you could pass on to the younger generation of artists as they begin their journeys?

Master your camera. Dare, experiment, open yourself to the subject, think out of the box. Today, in the digital camera world, it is cheaper and quicker to experiment. Leave yourself open to let an image “hit you”.