ODDA Conversations

On Columbian artist Giorgio Ermes Celin Instagram bio he makes the claim that “Everything is a self-portrait.” Here, in his ODDA Memorabilia recording, Giorgio tells the listener all about the question every artist has lingering in their mind and how the process of answering that eternal question is the starting point to all creativity. And so yes, everything we do or say is a reflection of who we are. A self-portrait of the soul that manifests itself in the world every minute of every day through the life we live, the art we create, and the memories we leave behind.

Jaime Álvarez, founder and creative director of Mans Concept Menswear, recounts why he decided to design menswear, the connection between his company and his German grandfather, and the impact that sunshine and happiness has had on his designs.

The raw, flowing, and unfinished aesthetic of Per Götesson’s designs act like a sartorial expression of his deepest feelings. Named the Swedish Fashion Talent of the Year in 2018, Götesson has found a way to create garments that are both restrained and yet thought-provoking as they reflect his Swedish upbringing, commitment to sustainability, and his sense of being an outsider. Götesson collaborates heavily with his partner, Husam El Odeh, in order to bring out the precise meanings that lie within each collection. Together, they are able to balance refined craftsmanship, sustainable processes, and a newfound interaction with the consumer base.

Jane Hilton is a London-based photographer and a filmmaker who was one of the Sony World Photography Awards finalists through her work “Drag Queen Cowboys,” which focuses on a series of black and white portraits of performers shot in daylight without any artificial lighting. Her work documents American Culture, especially the American West, through themes that are legal but not socially acceptable. In addition, she is still involved in fashion and editorial photography where she started her career in.

Cyrill Gutsch is the visionary founder of the company Parley for the Oceans, an organization dedicated to leveraging a community of creators, innovators, and decision-makers to help raise awareness about the fragile state of the world's oceans. Gutsch is leveraging his network of big thinkers to come up with, and implement, outside the box strategies that have a singular goal, saving the seas. Ian Urbina, the Pulitzer winning investigative journalist, has spent years on the high seas reporting on the lawlessness that exists offshore. That experience resulted in the book “The Outlaw Ocean,” which was recently purchased by Netflix and Leonardo DiCaprio. Both men are drawn to the big blue as a place of beauty, danger, loneliness, and freedom. But most of all its critical role in the future of humanity on this planet.

“Your Body Is A Battleground” proclaimed the famous poster by Barbara Kruger in 1989. Well, that could be the tagline for lawyer and trans rights activist, Chase Strangio. He has been fighting -- body and soul -- for close to two decades to change laws and policies literally made to institutionalize discrimination and violence against trans bodies. Those very bodies that normative society likes to peep on, but do not want to truly see. Responsibility, recognition, and acknowledgment from institutions are the basis for real equality. We are not there yet, but we are starting to see it far off on the horizon.

Mark Hamilton Gruchy is a Hanoi-based photographer who specializes in moving images. He won the Creative Category of the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 through his work “The Moon Revisited,” which focuses on previously unprocessed NASA images of the Moon landing ingrained with contemporary references ranging from the Pop Art movement to selfie-sticks. After initially graduating with a BA in Fine Art from Portsmouth, he transgressed into photography, followed by an MA in Digital Animation in 2006.

Craig Easton, who is a Scottish photographer and the overall winner of the Sony World Photography Awards speaks about his portraiture work “Bank Top” done in collaboration with his friend, the writer, Aziz Hafiz. 

Award-winning designer Priya Ahluwalia is giving the fashion world a dynamic and vital new narrative. Her signature menswear line is both a reflection of her Nigerian and Indian heritage and presents a hopeful vision of the future, where upcycled designer clothing becomes a new cornerstone to the industry and fashion finally begins to reflect a more multicultural perspective. A future where sartorial stories are pulled from places and events that don’t usually get highlighted in traditional history books and the voices of those who have been muted until now finally find an avenue to proclaim themselves.