“Yemen is a feeling / An ancient culture / Perpetuated for generations / With vices + virtues / With style + grace / Where generosity is second nature…” – Noavi
Meet Noavi, the Los Angeles based visual genius behind Wanderlust Found, a photography and video series that sheds light upon the darkest notions of countries, places that other people take for granted. Noavi kicked off her project with profoundly candid shots from Yemen and sat down with Tempo to chat about her exhibition, inspiration and future plans.
Tempo: Tell us about Wanderlust Found.
Noavi: It is based on a project that I started conceptualizing about two years ago, to places I travelled that were politically significant, where I was able to focus on quality life -basically on things that are not traditionally newsworthy. And Yemen happens to be the first reiteration of that… I’ve been travelling around the Gulf for about three or four years now, so I’ve included photos from the UAE and other places in this showcase. There’s also a video that I made along with the photographs, so this is basically a video and photography series. Hopefully this will be the first of many. I produced the Yemen photos over the spans of three weeks back in November 2013. The rest were taken during the period when I was travelling back and forth between the United States and the Emirates.
Tempo: Why did you do this project?
Noavi: I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I have Yemeni roots from my grandmother’s side.I just got here for the exhibition; I wanted to showcase my photos in the UAE because I love the UAE. It’s funny that people in the United States do not really have a concept of what countries like the UAE and Yemen are really like. The purpose of this project is to take people’s pre-conceived notions about what they think a place is and readjust them to see the things we have in common with these countries and the people in them.
Tempo: What kind of artist are you?
Noavi: I see myself as a fly on the wall. I try to capture moments and ideas as organically as possible and represent them as best as possible to the people who do not have the opportunity to see it themselves. I hope people see my art as honest. The theme of the project is to capture things as they are as opposed to the idea of what people think they are. And I think there is beauty in honesty, where some people may find something to be ugly. A community may not be the wealthiest and the shiniest from the outside, yet if you look closely you can see the beauty inside.
Tempo: What inspires you?
Noavi: There are a few photographers that I think are spectacular. There’s Peter Beard who has done a lot of work in Africa; he does photography mixed with journaling about nature and a little bit of fashion. I also like Nan Goldin who has done very organic stuff in New York where she takes people as they are and how they live every day. I also draw energy from literature works by the likes of Henry Miller.
Tempo: What’s next for Noavi?
Noavi: Ideally I’d like to go to Myanmar and other similar places to continue this project. I’m also being considered for a fellowship… should that come through it would take me to Papua New Guinea, Cameroon and Laos. So we’ll see!
Noavi’s Wanderlust Exhibition is available for public viewing at the Le Royal Meridien. For more information visit www.wanderlustfound.com
