INSIDER INTERVIEW
CHRISTOPHER MAKOS
gelang 1977, Nach einer Fotolehre bei Man Ray, der Durchbruch mit dem Buch White Trash,
das die Punk - szene in New York dokumentierte.
Seine enge Beziehung zu Andy Warhol und der Factory ermöglichten ihm tiefe Einblicke in die damalige Kunst - und Partywelt.
Interview geführt von Banu Alpsü und Vera von Laufenberg
How did you live back then?
Just like I do today, with a great sense of discovery. I still live in the West Village, I still ride my bicycle back and forth to my studio from the same West Village apartment that I have lived in for most of my adult life. Was New York in the 70s really how it was shown by the media and how it is remembered today? Everything is blown out of shape in the media. The 70s were a wild, interesting and creative time when everything was possible.
There was no Facebook, no Twitter.
Social media meant that you went out and met someone in person, you didn’t friend them on your Facebook page or tweet them.
It was a smaller cultural experience. But it’s not always about the numbers, but about the experience.
What do you think is so fascinating about that time?
Just that some people weren’t there, and people always wanted to see or experience what they couldn’t. The grass always seems greener on the other side.
You attend glamorous social gatherings since your young manhood.
Did photography open those doors for you?
Not really. Sure, I met lots of people at all sorts of events, but it wasn’t only the glamour ones. It could have been on the street, or through friends.
Which of your photos is the most representative of the 70s?
The ones from my pictures from my first book, White Trash, probably the one of Debbie Harry.
CHRISTOPHER MAKOS, Debbie Harry, "White Trash", 1977 © Makos
How would you define glamour?
Glamour is ultimately one’s only personal style. You are born with it. A stylist can make you look glamorous. But in the end, you either are glamorous or not.
In your opinion, who impersonates the glamour of that time?
Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn.
Do you think, that there is something such as glamour left today? If yes, how / where / in which person?
Meryl Streep, Michelle Obama, President Obama.
What do you think about the fact that Nicola Erni (the collector) shows your photos in an exhibition called »Zeitgeist & Glamour«?
I‘m very happy that she is a collector.
She understands that time frame very well. This is a great treasure, a great custodian of that period.
Gerade stellte Makos seine » Altered Image « Fotografien, die zusammen mit Andy Warhol entstanden, in Stockholm in der Ausstellung » Lady Warhol « aus. Hierzu ist ein gleichnamiges Buch erschienen.
Zur Zeit arbeitet Christopher Makos mit Paul Stolberg. Ihr gemeinsames Projekt » The Hilton Brothers « ist gleichzeitig die Bezeichnung ihrer gemeinsamen artistic identity.
www.makostudio.com
CHRISTOPHER MAKOS, Dali kissing Andy, 1972 © Makos
CHRISTOPHER MAKOS, POLAROID-#10, Andy with Interview, SX-70´S © Makos
CHRISTOPHER MAKOS, POLAROID-#126, Makos on Telephone, SX-70´S © Makos
CHRISTOPHER MAKOS, POLAROID-#24, Chris Stein and Debbie Harry, SX-70´S © Makos
