insufficient funds

by  andrew kuykendall

44 pages colour

 
Andrew Kuykendall doesn’t only take his photographs , he lives them . When one views a photograph by Andrew one feels as if they’re teleported to that time and place . I’d say above being a fashion photographer, he’s a documentarian . He engages with his subject and makes them feel as though his lens is not there . At the same time though he is highly technical and knows what he’s doing , he’s obviously been trained . The best artists learn the technique necessary. As an actress for myself it may be the sensory technique I learned through strausburg .
For Andrew , or in photography it maybe how to look at a woman or his subject and know her best angles , but as I was saying a great artist like Andrew knows his craft and technique so well that he can throw it away in the moment and just be present with his subjects . As an actress I memorize my lines until I’ve forgotten them , I equate that to Andrews sensibility and knowledge of what he’s learned in order to be a great photographer but in the moment he is able to throw it all away , and that is what gives his photos such an organic , in the moment , timeless yet always beautiful feeling . His subjects are always beautiful. He even has an eye for still lives , especially the vacuous spaces of the west coast . I remember Andrew once asking me if I wanted to go on a staycation . A holiday from home in the same city at a motel or hotel more or less by the ocean preferably when I lived in LA . At the time I was unable to , but by looking at his favorite still lives of motels and parked cars in front of an almost “Edward scizzer hands “ type world , I can tell he is in touch with the Fantasy that goes on inside those motels and those cool cars centered in such vacuous spaces . The kind you can only find in the Desert and on the west coast of LA . Personally some of my favorite memories have taken place in these motels and hotels on the west coast , especially in the desert hot springs . I understand what he is so fascinated by . Because in such a vacant energetically space and city especially Los Angeles to find a place you can live out you’re fantasy if only for one night is everything . And you can see there is a story behind each photo he’s taken and that not just the subject in front of it , but Andrew himself is a part of the Fantasy himself . He also has a huge imagination and can take a photo of a parked car and by just experiencing this photo the viewer can imagine , who drives the car , what he’s doing there and create a story for themselves too and that is so important as well . It is not just his story but the viewers imagination and story they create as well . Andrew has a pure gift and talent , it’s effortless and it’s his way of returning to that child inside . And one can only dream of ones dreams and images coming Alive and into reality , but to manifest them is one of the best parts . And Andrew is able to dream the dream and make them become a reality all at the same time . Perhaps the dreaming is the best part . As long as Andrew keeps dreaming and looking through his lens as an innocent at sometimes not so innocent child , but honest , he will continue to create unforgettable images that transport the viewer and his or her imagination to the very place they were created . Keep living the dream and most of all dreaming the dream . Everyone let it fall . Andrew dreaming , Andrew being and forever being free . Caught in a timeless moment that only a photograph can capture . Two dimensional pieces of paper are fleeting but memories are forever and Andrew creates the memories . His photos will last forever.
Forever you’re friend .
- Paz de la Huerta

14€