Romeo Alaeff
Romeo Alaeff is an artist based in Berlin, Germany.
Romeo Alaeff is one of the winners from September of ArtConnect's Open Call: Artists to Watch '21.
Initially studying biomedical engineering and having had little artistic training, my 1994 application to the RISD MFA photography program began:
“I’m not interested in being a ‘photographer.’” (Strangely, and fortunately, since I only applied to one school, I still got in.)
The application essay continued:
“I'm interested in the missing button on a passing overcoat and the ashtray propping up the short leg of a table...”
Re-reading my twenty-two-year-old self, I’m simultaneously embarrassed and amused by my naivety, yet I still feel the same—I'm still interested in the missing button of a passing overcoat. I'm interested in the inherently human desperation to find meaning, how we know what we think we know, and how this knowledge—ratified through various institutions—shapes personal identity, beliefs, and world-views. I'm deeply attracted to the potential for beauty and horror within this framework, as well as the absurdity, humor, and strangeness that the dichotomies of life present.
Power Ekroth
Curator
“Focusing on the psychological input of our environments, Romeo Alaeff works in different mediums such as charcoal drawings or photography. The works dig into emotions such as fear, insecurity and of isolation but also imperiousness, and reflect how physical liberties v/s boundaries in public space affect us in daily life. These boundaries differ in various contexts and in different times. Alaeff’s main interest lies in the world post-9/11, and our exposed position, that now is further enhanced by the pandemic. While most of us float through our every-day life without thinking about all this, Alaeff’s work put his finger on our common liability and how “normalcy” is relative.”
ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.
How would you describe your artistic approach?
Literature, film, and non-fiction, combined with my own writing informs most of my projects.
And how did you get started as an artist?
I had finished three years of biomedical engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans when an injury forced me out of school. When I got some distance, I realized that differential equations weren't doing it for me. I decided to try photography.
Romeo Alaeff’s studio
Where do you look for sources of inspiration?
Science, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Literature, Film.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?
Undistracted time.
Romeo Alaeff at work taking photographs
Stephanie Fenner
Curator
“The search for a home concerns and drives many human beings at least once in their lifetime and can even become an essential part of their lives. Sometimes Berlin seems to be a place for those “unsteady souls” who are wandering around and around driven by the search for a warm, safe, and welcoming place – home. Romeo Alaeff’s photographs seem to capture situations that depict this narration of searching but not finding. With nightly sceneries, they very aptly evoke notions of non-belonging, the search of identity, and a feeling of being left out creeping up to the viewer.”
Describe a typical day in the studio/wherever you make your work.
There is no typical day, but I spend a lot of my time writing.
What are you currently working on and what’s coming up next for you?
I'm currently promoting my recent photobook, "In der Fremde: Pictures from Home" (Hatje Cantz, 2021), a cinematic survey of Berlin & the search for home. I'm also editing a novel about my father, which takes place in New York City in the 1970s, and which revolves around a diamond heist he may or may not have committed. In addition, I'm also developing a photobook/writing project about crack addiction in New Orleans in the ‘90s, an old photo/interview project that intersects with my 14-year-long family documentary series called, "There's No Place Like You."
Anything else you want to add?
Don't stick paper clips into an electric socket.
See more of Rome Alaeff’s work
Discover Contemporary Art
ArtConnect is the leading destination to discover emerging contemporary artists worldwide.