MEMORIES
I’m in the darkroom with my grandfather. And while he works on hisphotographs under the red light, I sit at the table next to the photoenlarger. Like all small children do, I learn simply by watching ashe develops his pictures, taking in the smells of the darkroomchemicals. That’s when my perception of photography was formed.
DRIVING FORCE
Photography has been with me throughout my life. I see it as mydriving force—I do absolutely everything for and throughphotography. I cannot afford to be mediocre at it.
DESTINY
When I was 4, I took my first shot—a portrait of my grandfather. Iclearly remember how we later developed the film together, examinedit under the enlarger, and how he gave me a thumbs up, saying itturned out well, that it was in focus. From that moment on, I had anunconscious attraction to this kind of photography.
LOSS
My grandfather passed away when I was fourteen. It was the firstgreat loss of my life—I lost a true colossus, someone who hadshaped my perception of the world and nature. From that moment on, ata subconscious level, studying photography became my primary goal. Itfelt like a way to reconstruct my connection with him.
LINEAGE
As a teenager, I started getting into occult and esoteric literature.The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic by Eliphas Lévi andWitchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente were significantdiscoveries for me. It was through them that I began listening to alot of underground music. Today, I see more clearly than ever theconnection between esotericism, the underground, and photography—theyfollow the same distinct line.
JOURNEY
Photography has taught me to think in perspective, to see everythingas part of a long process. When I applied to study in Norway, it waspartly for the knowledge and the opportunity to earn a master’sdegree. But my real goal was to live in Bergen, so I could immersemyself in the local black metal scene and photograph some of its mostimportant artists.
CONTROL
In the wet collodion process, I found what had been missing in myphotographic practice before—unpredictability. It lies beyond thecomfort zone, it is an extension of internal growth and learning.
MAGIC
Jean-Baptiste Gustave Le Gray theorized the collodion process in 1850, even before it was practically developed by Frederick Scott Archer in 1851. Interestingly, Le Gray died in Cairo, likely drawn by the mysticism of the enchanted East. That entire era saw the flourishing of European esoteric schools—Helena Blavatsky and Eliphas Lévi were publishing their most famous works, speaking of astral light, magic, and alchemy. The wet collodion process perfectly reflects those explorations and that distinct Victorian aesthetic.
THE ALCHEMIST
What draws me to the wet collodion process is handling the chemicals—it feels almost like an alchemical transformation. I prepare the emulsion, the developer, and the fixer myself, and the magic of sensitization happens in a bath of silver nitrate, which, at the required concentration, is corrosive. On the other hand, this practice brings back memories of time spent with my grandfather—the darkroom, the red light. It is both a place of magic and a sanctuary where knowledge and fascination are passed down.
COLOURS
Collodion photographs are abstract and almost magical. The images are mirrored and silver-toned, made from the same chemical elements once used to create mirrors. Another defining feature is that the emulsion is not sensitive to the full colour spectrum—it primarily "sees" ultraviolet and blue light, while most other colours appear as black. In these portraits, people see themselves as they would in a mirror, but with heightened contrast due to the silver midtones, which creates a more personal perception of the self.
ALCHEMY
Alchemy means working with "pure materials"—chemistry in powder or crystal form. Some of these substances are carcinogenic or release fumes that shouldn’t be inhaled. Collodion and ether, essential for the emulsion in this process, are highly flammable and can explode if improperly stored.
FACES
I cannot explain my attraction to portrait photography. I am a deeply introverted person and often avoid conversations with people, yet when doing portraits, communication is inevitable.
SOULS
People I have photographed have told me that in their collodion portraits, all their old scars—long faded—become visible again. Others have noticed that their tattoos do not register at all in the emulsion. It’s as if collodion photography reveals something hidden within the human soul.
TRUTH
All the works in this exhibition are original wet collodion photographs. It is important to me that the viewer can engage directly with the silver image on metal or glass.
TEXT Nikola Shahpazov
