ON LOCATION:
on location is FIXER’s MAGAZINE section dedicated to highlight Venezuelan photographers working on a life assignment far from home. migration is a Venezuelan reality embraced from many different reasons and through many different processes, but with one thing in common for every venezuelan: the feeling of displacement.
we focus here on photography that has nurtured from leaving behind life as expected and faced new realities. the use of gray as this section’s color is an analogy to all of those shades of gray we’ve had to make ours while facing new environments.
ROMINA HENDLIN
caracas, venezuela —> NEW YORK, USA
How was your artistic journey from Caracas
to NEW YORK
and how the USA HAS shaped your photographic voice?
I migrated to New York when I was 25 years old. I had been living in a bubble in Caracas that started to break when I entered RMTF and with a Camera I started to discover the world. Even though I was raised by Argentinian Parents and my grandparents were polish, my identity was shaped very much by my Venezuelanness. That warmth, that friendliness, that solidarity that distinguishes us. The way we look at problems and life, always laughing and searching for light in the darkness. With that set of characteristics, I arrived to New York, a multicultural city which is both fascinating and terrifying, inspiring and overwhelming, beautiful and harsh. In New York I started to face reality, adulthood and a new version of the world I hadn’t experienced back home.
Living in the USA opened my mind, AS WELL AS my circle of friends and clients which are from all parts of the world. The everyday “Lucha” to make it in NY, shaped the kinds of projects I like to pursue. My voice as a photographer took, in my perception, a very long time to develop. I felt very lost in this country as I didn’t connect AS much with thE new culture. I couldn’t see myself as a photojournalist here but with time, lot’s of introspection, surrounding myself with more creative people, embracing my new reality and more importantly connecting WITH my roots, I started to emBRACE and build my photographic or better off, artistic voice.
Do you see elements of your Venezuelan roots
in the way you frame the world today?
I definitely think my identity as a latin american woman shapes not only the way I see the world, the kind of subjects I like to photograph and interview but also the way people look and think of me. In NYC in particular you are one in 8 million and what I’ve realised is that the more you look into your identity and your origins, the better is the outcome of your projects. My roots are embedded in the harsh realities I like to research to understand, like Beach Vendors, nothing is more specific to me than the Beach Culture and how we as Venezuelans acknowledge the people who serve and entertain us at the beach. This project is at the core of that mix of roots and skills I have gathered over the years.
Looking back in rmtf,
what is the biggest lesson you carry with you in your professional work today?
RMTF was the foundation of my photography. It was a moment of complete exploration, of being curious about every single detail and there was an abundance of play. My biggest lesson is to not forget to play, be curious and keep exploring the world endlessly. It sounds simple, but when you have to implement it in your professional work sometimes it can get tricky. A reminder of play is always a good tool to carry with you.
what would you tell your younger
self when you first picked up a camera?
Romi of 2006,
You will get there, I promise. You will find your voice and it will surprise you (in a good way). The journey is longer than you would wish but this is part of the process. The less you resist it, the more you will enjoy it. Explore as much as you can, and don’t doubt yourself so much. It is in the trial and error that you end up finding that voice.
Lastly, photograph a lot, but also, start writing. There is something there to pursue.
Romina Hendlin
caracas, venezuela —> new york, usa
Born in Venezuela, Romina Hendlin holds an MA in visual and media anthropology at Freie Universität Berlin and a BA in Mass Media with a major in AudioVisual Arts from La universidad católica in Caracas. She started her photography studies at Roberto Mata Taller de Fotografía and later graduated from the International Center of Photography in NYC. Her photographic work for the past 10 years has been an exploration of the human condition through the exchange of conversations and photography. The projects are grounded on a sensitivity to the social and economic disparities of the world. The themes varied from resilience, informal economy, migration and the struggle to make ends meet. Romina integrates her photographic practice with her passion for teaching photography. She finds that a lot of growth happens in the process, as much for her as for her students. From Caracas to Bogota and New York, Romina has exhibited her work individually and in group shows. Lately, she has begun to tell stories not only through her photos but also through her writing.. You can find her on Instagram and follow her journey on the everyday and while she continues her ongoing project “Beach Vendors”. Romina Hendlin is based in New York and is available for assignments worldwide.
INSTAGRAM // WEBSITE
self-portrait
