“I’m after an intimacy where you can actually feel the presence of the people and of the place. I’m interested in communicating those moments where time stands still. Moments that radiate an ambiance that is difficult to articulate. I have photos of myself that were taken by an ex-lover, and that open up something for me. They evoke a spirit of tenderness and trust. I am after something autobiographical, but it is not limited to that. I want to create very pretty, feminine tableaux of naked women because I find this alluring and I always have. I want to explore themes in human nature. These are stories of the soul, the body, and of love.”
Marlene Marino (Virginia, United States) studied art and philosophy in New York before launching her photographic practice in 1999. Her first exhibition was at American Fine Arts, NY – curated by Colin De Land. Marino recently published the project Cuba 2009, as a special edition for Purple Fashion Magazine, with whom she contributes regularly.
“2008. I spent five weeks in Havana last summer. I wanted to preserve on film a sense of people’s lives in this historical period of transition. I wanted the images to serve as a time capsule for an unforeseen future. I wanted to photograph everything that struck me- women’s faces, couples kissing and making love, and people passionately discussing politics amongst collapsing Neoclassic architecture to the sound of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody. I wanted to retrace steps and make images that were musical and kinetic…”
Images from Marino’s Cuba 2009 series chronicle five weeks in the summer of 2008 that the photographer spent living and working in Havana. In capturing private moments, and poetic scenes of her family’s homeland, the photographs offer a personal view, which is the result of Marino’s desire to connect to the country of her ancestry, and to reflect, as clearly as possible, what Cuba means to her, and what she is in Cuba today.
Publications
Cuba 2009 The Marlene Marino Purple Book. Supplement to Purple Fashion Magazine. No 11.
Features
Yoko. Currated by Dorothee Perret. PARIS, LA Magazine, Paris. Issue No 4, 2010. 12 b/w photos. Text by Marlene Marino.
We ♥ Marlene Marino. Currated by Tim Verrecchia. L’ Official Hommes Magazine, Paris. No 19, 2010. 12 b/w photos.
Havana Club. Currated by Anna Nistratova. BLACK SQUARE Magazine, Moscow. No 2 (09) 2009-2010. 9 b/w photos.
Try A little Tenderness. Feature by Kasia Bobula. Twin Magazine, London. November, 2009.
5 b/w photos.
Marlene Marino. Feature by Mutsuko Ota. Forever Esquire blog, Tokyo. April, 2009.
6 b/w photos.
Before Night Falls. Feature by Kate Williams. Urban Outfitters blog, Winter 2008. 5 b/w photos,
3 color photos.
Sisters. Currated by Fumihiro Hiyashi. Dune magazine, Tokyo. No 33, 2007. 8 b/w photos.
New York Nudes. Currated by Olivier Zahm. Text by Marlene Marino. Purple Fashion Magazine, Paris. No 07, 2007. 6 color photos.
Selected Projects
Urban Outfitters, USA. Early Spring catalog, 2010. On location in Japan.
Classical New York City. Apartamento Magazine, Barcelona. No 05, 2010. Portfolio of 8 b/w images. Text by Marlene Marino.
The real love of Nobuyoshi Araki. Purple Fashion Magazine, Paris. No 12, 2009. Portfolio of 12 b/w photos.
Post-sex and relaxation. Apartamento Magazine, Barcelona. No 04, 2009, Portfolio of 7 b/w photos. Text by Marlene Marino.
Urban Outfitters, USA. Early Spring catalog, 2009. On location in Spain.
Christine. Super Trash Film Festival. February, 2008. B horror movie poster.
Porsche 911 Targa 4S. Porsche Advertorial. Japan Esquire Magazine, Tokyo. July, 2007. Portfolio of 3 b/w photos, 1 color photo. (Interview of Marlene Marino by Mr. Yamaguchi)