My name is Edinson Jiménez. I was born in Barranquilla, Colombia and I’m now permanently based in Budapest, Hungary. I came all the way here for several reasons, one of them being my desire to be a full time visual and written communicator.
Writer? Photographer? Documentarian?
It never seemed to me like an obvious course of action, but I knew for sure that I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing the only thing that I’m good at: finding visual metaphors in everyday situations and articulating their meaning to the best of my ability. I’ve been given an insatiable curiosity for visual symbolism and the creative imperative to put into words whatever my eyes cannot see. That’s my mission. What you’ll find on this website is nothing but a sketch of my path to accomplishing it.
I recently finished my first photo-poetry book, From Dust to Ashes : The Suspension of Disbelief, which is in pre-printing stages; a narration that makes use of strong and poignant visual references to how darkness, isolation and fear eventually give way to gratitude, forgiveness, and the appreciation of beauty as a way to redemption.
I’m currently working on several other projects to be released in the upcoming years, all of which address a different subject matter related to the nuances of the human condition. What I do can be put rather simply: I make photographs intuitively and I write short pieces inspired by them. I always have something to say and the work I produce is my way of saying it; directed to you and to anyone who is willing and able to be the recipient of my message. A very straightforward approach.
When it comes to the highbrow art experts and those who take themselves too seriously, things are very different. Fortunately, they are not my audience. Unfortunately, I must address this part of the artistic ecosystem, for no other reason than to let you know where I stand in terms of my work ethic and my creative motivations. After all, this is my introductory page, and every time we define who we are, we also draw an outline of who we are not.
Ever since art became 100% subjective and ever since “anything can mean anything”, many arbitrary rules have been imposed; rules that not only hinder the artist’s creative spirit, but that also have been applied in order to keep the common folk relegated to pop culture and away from the arts; edicts put in place decades ago by a select minority of academics and curators because art, according to them, has to be an intellectual exercise that only the expertly trained can perform and understand.
But there is also an audience for honest and spontaneous forms of expression, and I know that there are people in this world who resonate with my way of doing things and with my way of thinking. Maybe you are one of them.
Artists these days are known for spending more time networking than working. That is a stereotype that I refuse to identify with. I don’t have to abide by the dictates of an elite group of self-appointed gatekeepers, because I don’t owe them any favours. I’ve never been to a cocktail party, never paid for a public review of my work, never believed in nepotism.
I have no facade to maintain. I am free. I am free from having to convince you that you should like my ideology or my political opinions. I am free to focus on producing my prints and doing my writing, and let you decide if you like my work or not, for the merit of it and for its merit alone.
The reason I bring this up is the reason why this page is titled “Art. Not Artist”. I value art and I have an artistic sensitivity, some people label my work as art for lack of a better word, and sometimes I do the same. However, I don’t consider myself an artist, at least not by the conventional postmodern definition that rules the current discourse. Earlier I mentioned that these days “anything can mean anything”, which also means that nothing means anything anymore. I am beyond caring about labels. What I truly care about is that you appreciate what I have to offer.
What I do matters much more than who I am. You may have read this far because of what I’ve said here, but I want you to stay because of what I say through my work. I want you to judge my character based on these lines and then completely forget about it once you’re flipping through the pages of my books or staring at my photographs on your wall.
I am nothing more than a man with a calling to create, and in a world where who you pretend to be matters more than what you do, I invite you to focus on the message and spare the messenger, because that’s all I am: I’m just a vehicle for the spirit of my aim. My words are mine only while I write them, but they have been given to me so that I can pass them on to you; just the same way that my photographs do not come from me, but through me; I borrow a moment from the past and give it back to you at a future time. Whatever meaning I can convey by virtue of my work will find its place in the open hearts and in the open minds of those who are willing to receive it. That’s where you come into the picture, and this is where my introduction ends.
Now you know a thing or two about me. Hopefully I will have the fortune to hear about you one day. I hope that you find some value in my work; if not, I hope that you share it with someone who might; and if not, then I hope that you find such value eventually. Somewhere, somebody, some day, will produce a photograph or a piece of writing that will touch your soul.
You will know it when you see it.
In the meantime, come on in and take a look around. You may find it here after all. One never knows.
