About Me
Dénicheur
d’âme , Par Yoshiaki Mimura
Photographe
de mode, Karim Ramzi capture dans ses portraits la
personnalité des
gens, une fois affranchis de leurs tabous sociaux. Il cherche la nature
humaine, en toute liberté.
Les portraits s’alignent les uns à
côté des autres, chacun possédant sa
force, son caractère, son lot de provocation et
d’ambiguïté. Ils sont
pour la plupart en noir et blanc, contemplatifs et dynamiques. Il
l’avoue volontiers, ses photos veulent choquer plus que
séduire,
dévoiler, étonner, mais sans basculer dans
l’excès. Chacune de ses
photographies flirte avec le danger, suggère plus
qu’elle ne montre,
pour finir par s’exprimer avec force.
C’est presque un jeu entre le photographe et le
modèle, un jeu
d’acteurs et d’intimités. Il suffit de
mettre la personne à l’aise pour
qu’elle expose sa vraie nature, pour qu’elle tombe
le masque. Il n’y a
aucun impératif, les personnes choisissent leur
accoutrement, quitte à
jouer un temps la comédie. Le déguisement est
déjà en soi quelque chose
de révélateur, la mise en scène une
excuse pour se montrer à nu. «
C’est quatre-vingt pour cent de psychologie pour vingt pour
cent de
technique. Tout le reste, c’est de l’improvisation.
» Il laisse faire,
met en confiance, les laisse exprimer se qu’ils
désirent, que ce soit
de la sensualité ou de la masculinité, de la
retenue ou de
l’extravagance. Car il cultive aussi les contrastes, les
paradoxes.
Chaque photographie est un affrontement en même temps
qu’une
délivrance. Les natures se dévoilent, se
déshabillent, s’affirment en
fin de compte, avec pudeur et exubérance.
Mais une fois capturées, il sait que ces images
n’ont qu’une vocation,
celle de faire rêver, celle de surprendre. Son inspiration,
il la
trouve directement chez les personnes qu’il photographie.
C’est eux qui
font tout le travail. Il est conscient de ne vendre que du
rêve par
procuration, de faire que les gens deviennent des stars,
l’espace d’une
journée.
Monochromatic
statements , By Leila Habbal
Through the creative use of
one single light, angles and color and by
utilizing his own creative vision, Karim Ramzi creates artworks that
reflect real people. Karim Ramzi’s photographs strike a chord
for
anyone who views them. He captures his subjects in a glamorous moment
in time and seizes a particular expression or a meaningful pose to
freeze its beauty. Through certain hues, shades, lighting, shapes and
textures, Karim’s photos embrace his sitters’ true
essence in a natural
and sincere manifestation. His photos are alluring, stunning and
captivating. They radiate strength and character and always with a hint
of ambiguity. His famous motto is, “Please leave your ego at
the door”
when you enter his Paris studio. This clearly confirms the
artist’s
desire to have relaxed subjects who will allow him to penetrate the
essence and core of their spirit and personality. By taking off their
masks, they will be able to reveal their fundamental nature. He wants
to know the “who” in each of his models. Karim
appreciates
self-expression and relishes in the struggle to reveal inner truth. As
a professional photographer, he believes that this art is composed of
80% psychology and 20% technique. He takes pride in being able to plant
confidence in his models so that they are able to freely reflect their
truth. It is an intimate and intense relationship between the
photographer and his models. Once he has ascertained there is no
façades, no pretenses and no disguises, the skill to expose
authentic
substance begins. When looking at his photos, the truth is suggested
rather than obviously revealed. This mystery gives the viewer the
freedom to interpret and perceive as an individual. There is a fine
line between what’s seen and what should be hidden. His
favorite
subjects, dancers, tend to comfortably and freely move conveying their
inner truth. When seizing such a raw instant, he is able to capture
genuine, intimate and powerful reflections of real people, their
personalities, their messages and their views. With such subjects and
the magic art that karim Ramzi is able to paint with light, an
exquisite canvas of images is created.
Karim has long been obsessed with black, gray and white and the
contrasts between these three “colors”. With these
distinct elements:
day and night, yin and yang, dark and light, dull and bright, the
photographer has been able to add an appealing effect to his
photographs: a unique depth that adds to the unspoken language exposed
by the true nature of his subjects.
