Journal

When I met them, I was already close to Mathias Augustyniak and Michaël Amzalag of M/M (Paris), the art direction duo with whom they had developed many now-legendary collaborations. This shared friendship meant Inez and Vinoodh welcomed me as one of their own. Now that I come to look at it, they all share quite a bit. They came of age in the 1990s, thus their work is rooted in independent culture and radical art. They do not come from commerce or from any form of industry, and performance has played a key role in their work, as well as so-called ‘relational aesthetics’. In their view, there is no singular format. Art can be expanded. Their work does not limit itself to a mere ‘art versus fashion’ discussion, for they have developed strategies to engage with both of these very different spheres of creativity, both separately and together. They know what they are doing when working for someone, yet their work is always uniquely theirs. An Inez and Vinoodh picture, whether produced for a campaign, for themselves or for an exhibition, always carries with it something uncanny. Nothing is ever a given, and everything is an opportunity to change our perception of the world.

One of the things that strikes me about you is that you break the mold of
‘oneness’ as a couple, both in life and in your art?

VINOODH MATADIN

I majored in advertising and took some basic photography classes during my university years. I wanted to do fine art photography, but like all typical traditional Chinese families, my dad thought fine art would starve me to death. So he wanted me to choose something that combined art and commerce. At the time, I thought it was a pretty good deal, as I was willing to do anything just to get closer to art. None of my family members or relatives work in or even near the creative field; I think I’m the first. They all come from business backgrounds, so in many ways, my path probably felt foreign or risky to them. I first learned black and white photography using analogue film, and when I developed my own prints in the darkroom I instantly felt drawn to the medium. The desire to become a photographer came naturally, though not necessarily as a career at the time. I just knew I wanted to get into the world of photography. When it comes to being self-taught, I think it was more about realising how you develop your own identity and visual language. That’s something I’m still exploring to this day. How do you discover people? When you were at The Face or other magazines, people were coming to you with their book, but now that the tables have turned, I presume you are proactively searching for people. Are you scrolling? Are you looking at hashtags? I am a little overwhelmed thinking about it.

VINOODH MATADIN

People weren’t literally knocking on our door at Instagram as they were when own prints in the darkroom I instantly felt drawn to the medium. The desire to become a photographer came naturally, though not necessarily as a career at the time. I just knew I wanted to get into the world of photography. When it comes to being self-taught, I think it was more about realising how you develop your own identity and visual language. That’s something I’m still exploring to this day. How do you discover people? When you were at The Face or other magazines, people were coming to you with their book, but now that the tables have turned, I presume you are proactively searching for people. Are you scrolling? Are you looking at hashtags? I am a little overwhelmed thinking about it.