15 Questions With… Tine Bek

Tine Bek takes Paper Journal's 15 Questions

How are you at the moment?

I’m happy, but very tired :)

What is your morning ritual? How does your day begin?

I get up, a little slower than I would like to. Sometimes if I have an early job. I’ll get up with my partner at 6am and have coffee with him. But most days I can sleep a bit longer. The best mornings are the ones where I get to do yoga with Adrienne.

I put on the classical music radio station, then I’ll have a shower.

I watch the news while I get ready and put my face on and get dressed, but when I sit down to have my breakfast and coffee I put something else on, like a silly TV show or something, to balance out the horror of the news, so I don’t leave the house too depressed.

I just got a new studio in the middle of Copenhagen—super central. The bike ride there is really lovely, through all the old bits of town, all the castles, museums and churches. But since my days are really the same, there’s a lot of days where I go straight to a shoot. In that case, all of the above can be replaced with, getting up, coffee, packing equipment and running out the door.

What, right now, can you see?

My computer, my feet, and my bed filled with cables, lenses, and gaffer tape.

What artist, project, book would you recommend we see/follow?

I’m very much into the podcast The Great Women artist with Katy Hessel. Palazzo Monti, where I did a residency a few years back, are doing a great series of online master classes called Fresco, on different aspects of the art world and are free to join. I’m in a bit of an educational place myself, so I have been diving into all these opportunities I could find to re-educate myself, since I feel like I felt into a bit of a void creatively during Covid.

I’m also taking part in another online masterclass with Self Publish Be Happy, which is focused on different aspects of photography.

I recently went on a beautiful residency to Mallorca, Casa Balandra run by Claudia my friend. This trip felt so exotic after not travelling for a couple of years, and it gave me so much inspiration. I met some great artists who all does amazing work.

Tell us about your process when starting a new project

Typically, a new project is started by something like a title or a very specific idea. In a way, the outlines are always super clear, but then developing and making the project take actual form can take a looonggg time. Sometimes years. This is why I always have more than one project going, so I can jump from one to another and keep the motivation going.

What has been your favourite collaboration?

Making the book—The Vulgarity of Being Three-Dimensional—with Disko Bay and Spine Studio has been amazing. Having people so involved with every step of the publishing process has been such a gift. And it feels almost surreal to have other people taking part and actually caring for a project as much as I do. I work alone a lot, so when I do have collaborations I cherish them a lot. For example, when we went to start the actual printing of the book, where we drove to Jutland in Denmark to print at Narayana press—seeing so many different people working on my images, printing and colour matching, felt so amazing— that really moved me. To see my work, make rings in the water.

What is your greatest achievement?

Every work and project I do is a step to another one and I always learn a lot, so one would be hard to pin point. But again the book (The Vulgarity of Being Three-Dimensional) feels like such a milestone for me personally, having worked on it for years. Although the outcome is not necessarily personal as in the themes, it is all snippets and moments from my life that I can look back at as memories.

What is your greatest regret?

I wish I had tested out other art forms when I was in art school. I would love to be able to paint!

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be nice, be patient, don’t give up and keep seeing the good things.

What is your latest project about?

I have a lot of projects that are in progress. A video piece and a couple of sculptural ideas I’m working on where I create temporary shapes out of butter and foam. But my latest finished project is the photobook; The Vulgarity of Being Three-Dimensional. The book is an investigation of form and the relationship between photography and the three-dimensional.

What are you researching at the moment?

The moon, horses and Rhyacionia buoliana (which is a sort of moth larve)

What can you not work without?

I’m pretty adaptable in my work but I do love my Mamiya RB67.

What challenges have you faced working in your industry?

I think the main challenge is my own critique and comparing myself to other artist and photographers. Having your own voice and method is the key I think. Because there’s so much competition in the creative fields, however that cannot be your drive, it needs to come from a joy for the work itself.

What are you hoping for in 2022?

More animals in my life and more time to lie in the sun and swim in the ocean.

Share a song with us, what are you listening to at the moment?

Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus.