He isn’t particularly interested in the past, but in how the future changes it. Ralph Gibson, one of the most acclaimed American art photographers, talks with Polish photographer, Wojtek Wieteska.

I’ll be your mirror
Reflect what you are, in case you don’t know
[…]
I find it hard to believe you don’t know
The beauty you are
But if you don’t, let me be your eyes
A hand to your darkness, so you won’t be afraid

Lou Reed, “I’ll Be Your Mirror”

Wojtek Wieteska: In 1987, I saw your photographs in person in New York. It was a different feeling compared to looking at them in books. I discovered the textures, tonality, and quality of those prints. All the subtleties, the mastery of photography. And that’s where it all began. If I could take one book with me to a desert island I’d take yours: Deus Ex Machina. I know that complimenting an artist’s ego can be annoying… But that’s a fact.

Ralph Gibson: I had those feelings with other artists throughout the years. Right now, I’m obsessed with Cy Twombly. I’ve been living in New York for over fifty years. When I think of the city, at one time it represented the center of the culture of western civilization for me. It was the beginning of brilliant art careers. When I came here, I was very influenced by the motions and the people and the activity of the city. It was so exciting in the 1960s. I lived in the famous Chelsea Hotel for three years and met everybody there. I used to say: “I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I live in New York.” I also used to say that New York was the only drug that I couldn’t kick. But it would appear now that I might have taken everything I want from the city. Now I am planning to sit in the great