Where did you grow up. Tell us about your background. What kind of place it was?
Antone Dolezal (AD): I grew up in a rural community in Oklahoma, just north of Tulsa. My grandparents owned a 260-acre wheat farm and I spent most of my time on their land. There isn’t a whole lot to do there, which is why I think oral storytelling is a big part of our family tradition. The stories I heard growing up have a big influence on my own narrative based work today.
And then photography. How it all started? What are your memories of your first shots?
AD: I have the typical story. My father was a newspaper photographer and had a darkroom. To keep me busy he taught me how to develop film and print his negatives when I was around 10 years old. I think he got a lot of free labor out of me, but I ended up enjoying the process and picked it back up when I went to college in Santa Fe. When I was in New Mexico, I had the opportunity to view Beaumont Newhall’s collection of photographs. I handled an exquisite Aaron Siskind print and that was it for me. I spent the next 4 or 5 years pushing myself photographically and becoming the best printer I could be.
You have recently finished a 3-year graduate fellowship at Syracuse University, NY? Any take aways? Any meaningful courses? Any professor or teacher you remember well?
AD: I took a number of critical theory and philosophy courses. The most exciting one was taught by Edward Morris titled ‘The Ecological Thought’. We read a lot of Timothy Morten, Donna Haraway, etc. I also experimented a lot with video, sound and the archive. It was a great time to expand my role as an artist and step outside of my comfort zone.
An unexpected occurrence was my close mentorship with Doug DuBois. We worked closely together and I became Doug’s assistant for the 3 years I was in school. We did a number of editorial assignments, the most memorable was a collaboration taking the form of a two-week road trip across the United States for GEO magazine.
Installation view 'Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit' at Syracuse University Art Galleries, Syracuse, NY
What do you think about photography in the era of digital and social networking? How is the language evolving and impacting daily life of people and communities in your opinion?
AD: What a double-edged sword! I think social media is a great way to find out about the work of others. I also think it can be an important medium to get information out into the world while events are developing. That said, it’s something that isn’t always used responsibly and I imagine social media is doing some serious harm to us culturally and spiritually. I know I have lost a lot of productive time looking at Instagram and I imagine I’m not the only one!
For some – probably more so for editorial photographers – it seems to work out well for getting work into the world. While I have tried, I haven’t seen much of a payoff in promoting my own work on social media; it seems to be more a flexing of the ego than anything else.
About your work now. How would you introduce yourself as an author or described your personal methodology?
AD: The formation, evolution and meaning of myths are common threads in my work, and I am equally interested in what these myths tell us about contemporary society. My practice involves a period of preliminary research that includes mining institutional archives, conducting interviews and gathering testimonial transcripts, religious and literary fragments and found images. This research is followed by long stretches of time in the field making photographs that bring together portraiture, landscape and interpretive images. I take a multi-genre approach to image making, blending many elements to construct a layered narrative.
© Antone Dolezal, 'Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit'
© Antone Dolezal, 'Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit'
© Antone Dolezal, 'Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit'
I read regarding your ongoing work 'Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit': «The Southwestern United States possesses a strange tale of western settlers seeking a utopian future. For those who aspire for divine knowledge it’s a place that holds the key to the mysteries of the cosmos.» Can you tell us more about how, why and when you developed this series?
AD: I lived in the Southwestern United States for ten years and have many friends and acquaintances that are members of new religious movements, New Age practitioners, or they regularly attend peyote or ayahuasca ceremonies. As I have such a close connection and access to these varying faiths, I became fascinated with their origins and began to research the different realities humans construct to find some kind of truth and meaning in life. I was able to trace many myths and ideologies based on the folklore of the American West, sci-fi cinema, astrological literature, secret military conspiracy theories and Eastern and Indigenous mysticism. There was a curious mixture of pop culture and ancient beliefs, as well as historical and environmental situations that allowed this utopian phenomenon to take root.
In Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit, I make parallels between the different realities many of us live in; in America, I think it is safe to say we don’t all live the same truth. This work is just as much a commentary on what is happening within mainstream society, as it is a remark on what is happening at its edges.
© Antone Dolezal, 'Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit'
© Antone Dolezal, 'Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit'
© Antone Dolezal, 'Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit'
«I see myself as not only presenting the myths and histories I unearth, but also being an active participant in the evolution of their representation». Can you better expand this concept of sensitivity?
AD. Modern mythologies and folklore evolve and change alongside the cultures they exist within. The stories we share amongst each other say quite a lot about the struggles and social realities we face, changing over time or disappearing completely when they become irrelevant. As a photographer working with the visual narrative form, I am retelling stories I unearth or that are passed down to me and in the process of my own creative liberty, I am participating in their narrative evolution.
'Devil's Promenade' is a co-work with Lara Shipley. Why the Spook Light «represent for the community a desire for redemption and the fear of slipping into darkness»?
AD. The cornerstone of Devil’s Promenade is the story of the Spook Light, described by locals as a strange orb of light seen on chance nights on a road known as Spook Light Road. Locals also claim to see the Devil on the road at night, giving passersby the chance to exchange a wish for their soul. Lara and I view this story as the perfect metaphor for searching and desire and the pull between dark and light that finds its way into rural Ozark life.
The story of meeting the Devil on the road comes from European folklore. We thought it was interesting that this story became embedded in the Ozark wilderness. We think it’s lasted so long, being passed down through Ozark families, because it resonates with Ozark life. It’s a story about fate: you come to this place and you might find something beautiful or something dark, and you don’t know which until it happens.
© Antone Dolezal, 'Devil's Promenade'
© Antone Dolezal, 'Devil's Promenade'
© Antone Dolezal, 'Devil's Promenade'
© Antone Dolezal, 'Devil's Promenade'
© Antone Dolezal, 'Devil's Promenade'
Tell us more about your fascination for books. 'Spook Light Chronicles' is a very particular Limited Edition Set. Which criteria drove you through experience? Lessons learned?
AD: I find a great challenge in the photographic book. I’ve worked on a few now and am always trying to push my own understanding of visual narratives within the book form. Spook Light Chronicles is printed as a three-part series, with each book having its own narrative that exists under the umbrella of the full body-of-work Devil’s Promenade. We only made 30 of these sets, which are now sold-out. While I love the control of self-publishing with regards to the design, I am working on publishing this book with a larger publisher so it can get the work in the hands of more people.
Spook Light Chronicles a handmade wooden box by Roger Atkins of Cove Creek Woodworks — is limited to an edition of 30 + 2 AP and includes SLC vol 1-3, a 7x9" print, found ephemera, and facsimile reproduction of the original 1955 Tri-State Spook Light booklet.
Three books (not only of photography) that you recommend?
AD. Some recent books I’ve enjoyed are Continental Drift by Taiyo Onorato and Nico Krebs, Tinkers by Paul Harding and In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin.
Is there any show you’ve seen recently that you find inspiring?
AD: I recently saw an installation of Shirin Neshat’s Turbulent I thought was quite powerful.
What are you up to?
AD: I’m working on a new collaboration with Lara Shipley that takes place in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, doing some lecturing and trying to stay productive!
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