I once saw a travel blogger lament his travel experience to Chile, flying from Shanghai to London, and then all the way south to Santiago de Chile, flying more than 40,000 kilometers round trip, enough to circle the earth.
This seems to understand Nicolas's first visit to China in 2010 -
This is such a distant and strange country.
Fortunately, Nicolas has the best character of his son-in-law in Shanghai and cooks well. At the same time, as a photographer, he loves to explore and document -
"I like to ride aimlessly along the banks of the Huangpu Riverside, you may meet the grandpa who is playing tai chi, you may meet the teenager who is skateboarding, and the well-dressed Shanghai aunt... The magnificent architecture, the gentle light and shadow, everything in front of you is so exciting. ”
In Nicolas' many works, food is an important inspiration, and the vast land of China is full of ingredients that make him feel new. "I've never seen so many types of mushrooms, peppers and beans in all shapes, I can't name them, and the markets in every city are my favorite places to go." Nicolas said.
Therefore, in his works, red goji berries, sun-dried enoki mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, and silver fungus have become works of art, portraits, and a unique business card of a city, allowing more people to understand the rich and colorful local culture while understanding the ingredients.
Indeed, understanding the taste of a city is also one of the ways to read about it.
Nicholas Santa Maria from Chile is a photographer who loves food. All images in this article were provided by interviewees
IP SHANGHAI: CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF? What brought you to Shanghai?
Nicolas: My name is Nicholas Santa Maria, and I'm from Santiago, Chile, a city in South America. I am 43 years old and a professional fashion photographer. In 2010, I came to Shanghai for the first time, mainly because of my family. Because my wife is from Shanghai, we have a lovely daughter of mixed Chinese and intellectual race. When my daughter was 6 months old, we decided to go to Shanghai to see my wife's family, and so we stayed until 2014, then left for a while, and in 2019, we returned to Shanghai.
IP SHANGHAI: What did you know about Shanghai before you came to Shanghai?
Nicolas: I knew Shanghai was a big city, but before I came, I never really knew about China because China is so far from Chile, for example, the last time I came back to China, I flew for 50 hours. While we use a lot of Chinese-made things, the Chilean people know very little about such a huge country as China. In San Diego, we also have a relatively large Chinese community, where there are Chinese Super League and Chinese restaurants, and you can even eat hot pot and spicy hot, but the taste is actually very Westernized. So in my mind, China is a very distant and strange place, but when I first came to Shanghai in 2010, I was very excited because I love to travel and am curious about Asia.
IP SHANGHAI: 2010 was also the year Shanghai hosted the World Expo, and now more than 10 years later, do you think what has changed in Shanghai?
Nicolas: Yes, the first time I came to Shanghai, I happened to be hosting the World Expo. I had the privilege of reporting for a Chilean newspaper, got a foreign press card, and I worked with some galleries to take many photos of the Expo. Shanghai in 2010 was an amazing city, growing fast and full of vitality. However, looking back, what strikes me the most is that the rapid growth is not only the changes in landscape, architecture, wealth, etc., but also the growth of culture.
For example, in the past, many people would have a certain prejudice against "Made in China" things, but in the last two decades, we have seen China produce quality computers and cars, for example, I used to use Apple phones, but now I use Xiaomi because it is not only cheap, but also very good. I also have a Xiaomi notebook that costs a third the price of Apple's Macbook, and the performance is excellent, and the concept of "Made in China" has changed.
Another big touch is safety. I am a photographer and often carry very expensive equipment with me. You know, in South American countries, going out at night is very dangerous, you need to be vigilant at all times, in Chile, I was robbed twice. So the first time I went out with a camera in Shanghai, I was still a little nervous, and my wife reassured me that I don't have to worry, relax, it's safe here. Now I ride out a lot, and sometimes the parking is unlocked, and it doesn't matter.
IP SHANGHAI: CURIOUS IF THERE ARE ANY CULTURAL SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SHANGHAI AND YOUR HOMETOWN?
Nicolas: Actually, it's hard to find cultural similarities between Chile and China, because Chile is heavily influenced by American culture and has a lot of differences in weather, food, and China. However, after marrying my wife, my family is very social, I am responsible for cooking at home, and my income will be handed over to my wife. My mother-in-law loves to play mahjong and loves to go out with her little sisters (laughs).
IP SHANGHAI: WHEN DID YOU FIRST FALL IN LOVE WITH PHOTOGRAPHY?
Nicolas: My interest in photography began when I was seven or eight years old. My mom was a journalist with two cameras and a small darkroom, and I used to accompany my mom to the magazine's photography studio, where she would teach me how to use the camera and how to develop negatives in the darkroom. But honestly, when I was younger, I wanted to be a chef because I also loved cooking, and when I was eight years old, I started cooking for my whole family, and when I was 12, I sold my own food to my neighbors.
After graduating from cooking school, I started working, and although I was busy in restaurants every day and even scolded by the leaders, the income of the chef was really not high and the working environment was not ideal. So I decided to stop and study photography instead, so at the age of 21, I entered college and started working part-time.
IP SHANGHAI: You do have a journalistic perspective in your work, very humanistic, and I want to know what style of photography do you usually like?
Nicolas: Yes, my favorite photographers are from photojournalism or documentary photography. I've also worked for journalism and magazines, but in fact I like a lot of styles, and I also enjoy doing commercial photography for restaurants and magazines. When I first came to Shanghai, I was blown away by the architecture here, and I photographed almost all the amazing buildings in Shanghai. But now I think it's more important to tell a story with photos than just to show beauty. In the depths of my heart, I prefer to use the language of photography to express myself and my views on the surrounding environment, for example, I am currently more focused on photographing the Huangpu Riverside, I am interested in the connection between people and the environment, human stories, and I like to explore the city alone in Shanghai and get lost in various places.
IP SHANGHAI: Just mentioned that your dream as a child was to become a chef, and later in your photography you also used food and took a lot of "portraits" of them, can you talk about how you came up with this idea?
Nicolas: The idea was born when I was living in Chile. At that time, I was running a homestay on a small island, and I had to take care of everything from management to cooking. It's a wonderful job, but it's very busy and I don't have much time for photography. So I started thinking about whether I could combine food with photography to make myself happy.
The island I live on is called Chiloe, located in southern Chile. The island has very unique ingredients, everything is organic, fresh and cheap, you can go to the beach to dig for clams, oysters and many other seafood, there are also more than 200 varieties of potatoes on the island that are unimaginable. I put the food against a pure black background, and against the black background, the food seems to float there. The Food of Chiloe series was the first food portrait series I tried, and later I worked on this project wherever I went. Especially in Shanghai, Chinese are very keen on food, and I often see people queuing for more than 2 hours for a restaurant.
In today's globalized and industrialized world, where most people live in fast-paced and stressful megacities, there has been a change in how we eat and how we perceive the food we eat. "Microwave ovens", "semi-finished products", and "takeaways" are all factors that affect our view of food. The idea of the food series is to appreciate the food produced by the locals, while also showing outsiders the food culture of other countries.
IP SHANGHAI: Were there any difficulties during the filming in Shanghai?
Nicolas: I don't speak Chinese, but most Shanghainese speak a little English, or at least be able to communicate slowly through body language, so shooting in Shanghai didn't have any difficulty. What's more interesting is that in the past, when I was shooting on the street, many locals would stand behind me, curious to see what I was shooting, and they would use Mandarin or Shanghainese to try to give me advice, or just want to chat with foreigners. In my opinion, these interactions are fun and not offensive at all, because everyone is warm and friendly. Now it's convenient because my daughter is 13 years old and speaks both Spanish and Chinese. I often hire her as my assistant, especially when going to the local market to find food, she can easily communicate with the people in the wet market.
IP SHANGHAI: DOES SHANGHAI OFFER YOU SPECIAL INSPIRATION? Do you have a favorite landmark, park, or street?
Nicolas: Shanghai has a different texture than anywhere else, and that's light. Due to the high humidity, sunlight can be gently sprinkled on the building, which is very outstanding in black and white photos. I love spaceship-like wonders, like the Radisson Blu Hotel, Shanghai. I like the Shikumen of Laoximen, the bamboo poles on the balcony are full of clothes, the grandfathers play mahjong in the alley, the children play football next to them, and the down-to-earth Shanghai scenery. I also love all the riverside areas of Shanghai, with their museums, art galleries, coffee shops, parks, and it's beautiful in Puxi and Pudong, day and night. Whenever I have time on weekends, I ride along the river and take pictures along the river all day.
IP SHANGHAI: WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND ARE THERE ANY NEW PLANS?
Nicolas: Over the years, I have created a lot of works, but not much has really been shown, so the focus now is to make a good combing and summary of past works, such as Huangpu Riverside that I have photographed for many years, I want to make a book or hold an exhibition. When that's done, I'll start a new project and I already have some new ideas.
IP SHANGHAI: IF YOU WERE TO INTRODUCE SHANGHAI TO YOUR OVERSEAS FRIENDS, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT?
Nicolas: Overall, I think Shanghai is a great city. Spring and autumn here are very beautiful, the climate is pleasant, and the food is very delicious. In addition, Shanghai is also a vibrant city full of cultural and artistic activities.