I couldn’t find any information about Anak Navaraj, save for his/her website. I’m not certain that he/she is from Thailand but the pictures on his/her website captured my attention. I would be happy if someone could furbish me with more information.
[all images © Anak Navaraj]
I find myself strangely attracted to effective diptychs recently. There is something about the extra meanings carefully weaved into the chosen images. I find myself guessing the photographer’s intention when choosing a particular pair of images, often creating my own interpretations. I have not formally tried creating my own diptychs and perhaps I will look through my archives soon. Maybe I will discover new images from my otherwise bland-looking singles.
Check out Julian Thomas’ Three Part Inventions where he builds up a narrative from the places in his photos.
Edit: It has been confirmed that Anak is in fact a Thai, currently based in NYC. He shoots travel and documentary work, after graduating from Pratt Institute, with a MFA in Photography. He has recently done work for Thai Airways.
Wow these are fantastic! Thanks for drawing attention to them!
Wow - very reminiscent of Rinko Kawauchi, but still w/ a different style. I love the diptychs.
Yes he is Thai! A fantastic photographer. My best friend ;)
…: Cool! Nice to know that I didn’t make a big mistake! He is quite mysterious, can’t find anything about him online!
i’m sorry to burst your bubble, everyone, but he’s actually a nice jewish boy from mahwah, new jersey. he had a serious flirtation with buddhism in his forties, changed his name, and then went mostly underground after reagan took office.
you can find rare editions of his work with thai ladyboys in some second-hand bookshops in and around berlin (taschen, i think), but otherwise not much else. i’m thinking that the site you saw might be cobbled together by fans of his work, posthumously?
maybe try contacting them via the site…it would be quite interesting to see what they have to say.
also, i found, from my archives, a polaroid that Mr. Navaraj allowed me to shoot of him, when we met for beers back in ‘81:
[ http://superbiate.com/fee/ ]
Whoa. This is weird! I’ve just emailed the contact on the website, I’m not sure who is right and I will not make any guesses now. I do hope that somebody speaks up!
Okay, got a reply from Anak, who confirms his identity as Thai, currently living and working in NYC. He’s a graduate of Pratt Institute, MFA Photography. The comment by superbiate is most probably a joke by someone Anak knows.
Haha. I just wonder…