Alex Schoelcher On the Search for Intimacy in Photography
Project: Concrete Citizens, 2020
Words & Photography: Alex Schoelcher
I have been taking portraits of people on the streets for many years, and have developed a solid combination of self-confidence in approaching strangers, and a thick skin in accepting rejection.
It wasn’t until my good friend suggested I knock on someone’s apartment door in Tbilisi (Georgia) that I discovered a previously unknown depth of intimacy available to portray. I thought the idea was ridiculous, but on our first attempt, an elderly lady opened her door, asked us to wait a few minutes while she cleans up inside, and invited us in. Inside, a topless older man and his husky dog sitting side by side in the living room are what made me realise I found my new project.
I realised there was an entirely new dimension of intimacy available to a photographer from those willing to offer it.
Never underestimate the extent to which someone might receive you into their private world.
Alex Schoelcher is a Melbourne-based multi-disciplinary photographer. Born in London to French and Iranian parents, Alex spent his childhood growing up in Nigeria, Syria, Holland and the United Kingdom. Influenced by his own eclectic upbringing and a perennial sense of being an outsider, Alex has always been fascinated by the concepts of culture and identity. Fused with his love for international travel, photography has been just as much about self-discovery as it has been about the exploration of others.
