Untitled, from Drapery by Marisa Aragona

Today we conclude our Hot Shot Q&A series with questions for and answers from 2009 Second Edition Hot Shot Marisa Aragona. Marisa's work stands out for the vibrant tableaux she creates with figures and fabrics in tight interior spaces. "I photograph both myself and others in their homes during periods of isolation and transition. In doing this, I wish to reveal a character in the midst of confusion, transition, chaos or even adventure." 2010 is off to a great start for this San Francisco-based photographer, whose work is currently traveling around Lithuania as part of a public art exhibit, will be published in Aperture's juried Photo Review Journal, will be included in a show at Meridian Gallery, and, of course, will appear in the Hey, Hot Shot! exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery this March. For more about Marisa, including a full bio and statement, visit her Hot Shot profile. Marisa also just relaunched her website this weekend with some new work, so make sure to check it out! And now, Marisa Aragona:

From:
I grew up in Fort Washington, Maryland. It's both a unique and ordinary place. Rural and urban are side-by-side, [there is] no in-between. Growing up, I'd go to my best friend's farm, less than a half-mile from my house, where we would play with the animals and graffiti the barn. I once watched her father help a cow to give birth, if you can imagine that! On the other hand, just a few more short minutes up the road is the Beltway to DC. I drove by the Washington Monument every day on my way to high school. Bill Clinton once jogged right in front of my car with his security team...and he winked at me!

Formal and/or informal education and training:
I feel lucky I got to go to art school...twice! I got my BFA in 2000 from the School of Visual Arts in New York, which gave me an amazing foundation and photo skill set. At SVA, so many different kinds of photography were happening all at once. This total immersion was critical to my ongoing fascination with photography. Then, in 2005 I received my MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. The critiques at SFAI were challenging and diverse. Moving to the West Coast and being exposed to conceptual and performance art in grad school really blew my mind wide open.

How you pay the bills:
Like a lot of artists, I do a lot of different things, the main thing being teaching. My day job is educational and arts programming for the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco. I also teach photography to adults at UC Berkeley and get a few photo gigs here and there.

Best advice you ever received as a photographer (and/or as a human):
The collective wisdom of my most beloved mentors and friends consistently has been to trust myself (and shoot a lot of film).

Top 3 Favorite Artists:
For today, my answer is Eva Hesse, Ana Mendieta and Lynda Benglis. It goes without saying that I can't really answer this question though.

Photograph (or other work of art) that you can't get out of your head,
ever:

It's been a few years now since I saw Cornelia Parker's Colder, Darker Matter at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in SF. The piece consists of bits of charcoal, which came from a church in Texas that was struck by lightning, suspended in the shape of a cube—absolutely brilliant on so many levels. Being in the room with that piece was an experience that made me lose my breath, and I still think about it all of the time. The image doesn't really compare to seeing it in a huge space as I did.

Reading now:
Good New Year's reading for me is Yoko Ono's book of instructions and drawings, Grapefruit.

Top 3 photo-related websites/blogs:
Sprayblog: interviews with young artists and other good stuff (search my name to find an interview with me).
Amy Stein Photo: always great.
Horses Think: my friend Ofer keeping me in the know.

Top 3 non-photo websites/blogs:
Cliché Site: "Easy as pie," my favorite website! How amazing to search clichés alphabetically. Totally genius!
SF Burlesque: Local, stay-in-the-know entertainment listings.
Super Tight Stuff: Just learned of this one last week. Check out the 10 greatest places to swim in the world.

What project or idea are you working on now?
I remain really interested in the body and continue to shoot self-portraits mostly, as well as lots of clothes and color. Lately, I'm photographing myself interacting with my clothes, searching to understand my own changing relationship to my body. I enjoy the excess of my old clothes, like bodies or old selves.

Thanks to Marisa and all of our Hot Shots for taking the time to answer our questions. We can't emphasize enough how excited we are to work with these amazing photographers, and we're counting the days to the opening!