MenLo is a studio and gallery focused on growing the international artist community in Jingdezhen, providing access to the city for aspiring ceramic artists, and amplifying young and emerging Chinese contemporary artists in any medium. As a studio we are committed to working in an integrated way with the city, its artisans, and its industry. As a gallery we do not have representational relationships with artists, we facilitate making, and try to find the work done in our studio homes in various galleries, museums, and other venues around China.
Elvar is perhaps best known for his aerial photography.
"Part of being a photographer is to bring something tangible of value into the world. For me，capturing the image is just the beginning of the journey of the photograph. I have to master the art of print making so that I can end the journey."
When I am asked whether my aerial photographs are paintings or reproductions of an original painting, my answer is yes; they are reproductions of an original artwork captured in real time, while in the making.It has taken nature billions of years of carving, sculpting, painting and layering with all kinds of materials and colours to arrive at the stage in time when the shutter of my camera opened up and captured the reflection of the art piece. In this project I see myself as an art reproduction photographer, making copies of the ever-changing canvas, were Nature, the greatest artist of all, works on the never-ending art piece, the Earth. The photographs are taken from an ultra light aircraft flying 150 to 300 meters above the ground. I speak to the pilot through an intercom and guide his every movement of the plane as I view the earth through the viewfinder of my camera.