For Sharon Muss —Mexican artist— photography isn’t just art, it’s presence, With exhibitions in Italy and around the world, a deep love for India, and a passion for doors and windows, Sharon Muss redefines travel and photography. On this interview she shares why imperfection is her greatest muse—and how Mexico remains her creative core.
Web: sharonmuss.com
Title: Artist and Photographer
City you live in: Mexico City, and I’m currently conducting this interview from New York City. Part of my work and my journey is immersing myself in artistic material: I visit galleries, museums, art stores, and observe.
Most recent city visited… Norway, Oslo, Scotland, and London, as part of my travels around the world, capturing photographs, learning about different cultures, and understanding the beautiful diversity we have.
A typical day in my life includes… meditation, yoga, reading, and studio work, whether producing work or sketching.
I was born in… Mexico, I’m Mexican, a chilango at heart. I’m the youngest of three sisters, always curious, living by my own rhythms (never standard ones), never fitting into methodologies or systems. Not because I’m rebellious, but by nature. That’s why I honor beauty in imperfection, beauty in authenticity. Since I was little, I loved to be surprised; I sought out those situations, moments, places, and only found surprise in what was authentic and not necessarily “perfect.”
When I was young, I wanted to be… I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to be. However, I was absolutely clear about what I didn’t want. Nothing you’d find at a traditional university offered anything appealing. From a very young age, I carried around my backpack with modeling clay, tools (forks, chopsticks, etc.), markers, crayons… and that’s how I spent my time creating and listening to music. Around the age of 20, I started practicing Ashtanga Yoga, got certified, fell in love, and from then on, all I thought about was photographing those beautiful postures the human body achieves—and that are also healing—I had to do. I dreamed of an exhibition of my yogic photographs, haha… that’s how I decided to study photography, and from there I kept going. I found my niche.
My first job was… once I graduated in photography. I set up a mobile studio in my house, a development lab (in the bathroom). At that time, I was doing analog photography; digital was just starting out, and I did baby shoots. That’s where I started.
My favorite thing about traveling is: immersing myself in other countries’ way of life, cultures, how they laugh, how they dress, their cuisine, climate, nature… My favorite place is undoubtedly India. I’ve been there twice, I have great friends, and I’ve studied it. I have two photographic series dedicated to India; they are truly a treasure for me.
Can you share with us what is your current expo in Italy mainly about? I now have a piece on display in Italy; it’s a traveling, collective exhibition. I immediately said yes to the invitation to this ART Experience proposal. It’s a very beautiful project; the exhibition is taken to museums, schools, etc., with the aim of continuing to cultivate a love and connection to art. That’s one of my goals: to ensure that more and more people have access to art, without exceptions of any kind.
What is your favorite thing to photograph? Photography is my anchor to the present, to truly immerse myself in the moment where I am. I find beauty in most of what surrounds us… but, especially, during these 20 years, I have dedicated most of my time to photographing doors, gates, and windows from all over the world. Aside from my Indian collection, doors lead me to expand my curiosity and imagination. I engage in tremendous processes of inquiry. I also see doors as change, decisions, thresholds, dimensions… I enter a completely surreal universe.
How do you project your Mexican culture in your work? Well, without a doubt, the first and foremost thing to always emphasize is that I am a proudly Mexican artist. Mexico has given me everything; it has been kind to me, it has given me knowledge, friends, colleagues. We have a gem of a country in terms of culture, gastronomy, beaches, origins, generosity… well, I think what Mexico offers us is innumerable. And well, as a Mexican artist, having exhibited in Europe and the United States fills me with pride.
Who do you take inspiration for in your work? As a photographer, I am inspired by life, by the wonder of being able to give a different perspective to what we all see. I am motivated by movement, light, and living life. When it comes to painting, I am inspired by the work of other artists. Within my discipline, it is essential to visit museums and exhibitions, and read about artistic careers and processes. Speaking of figures in art who are icons for me: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lita Cabellut, Joana Vasconcelos, and Guillermo Lorca.
Can you share more details about your philosophy “The beauty of imperfection”? For me, beauty in imperfection is a way of honoring all that is. Although, at first I lived like this and then I managed to understand myself, to give it a name… I always questioned myself: where is the scale for “ratings”? Good? Bad? Beautiful? Imperfect? I always thought: for what? Or for whom? What is the criterion for rating or disqualifying? At the same time, I understood that the moment I can see without that judgment or demand for perfection, I begin to enjoy and be grateful for what simply IS. And at the same time, I HONOR the existence of “that” that would possibly be judged and disqualified for its imperfection.
Likewise, nothing is absolutely perfect (under what criteria?) nor is everything perfect just as it is. From there, I understand why I am an unstoppable obsession with finding beauty in everything and everyone.