the space in between: Hey Ross! We’re incredibly stoked to be in conversation with you, and congratulations on getting 2nd Place in our FUCK THE SYSTEM!!! exhibition!

 

First off, we like to start by getting to know you; can you tell us about yourself? Who are you and where do you come from?

 

Ross Gerhold: So I was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska in 1993. My father worked as an engineer on a coal train, my grandfather was a rancher and western painter by the time I met him. My grandmother was a nurse and my mother was a stay at home Mom. Following the divorce of my parents when I was seven, my mother and I moved out to Virginia where I’ve been ever since. I was definitely a sensitive and compulsive child growing up in a very conservative and fairly challenging environment, something I’m still working through today.

 

tsib: Sounds to us like you’ve had to tough-it-out through quite a few things during your upbringing. I think both of us empathize with that at least a lil’ bit as two queers who grew up in Southern, Christian households. We hope at the very least that those tough environments helped you learn more about yourself and who you want to become in the world.

 

Alright, so what got you into making images? And how are you so damn good at it?

 

RG: I’ve literally always had a camera around. My mother documented every holiday when I was a child on her massive VHS camera. I was obsessed with it. Eventually in the early 2000’s, my cousin bought one of the first digital cameras that had an LCD screen on the back. I remember when he showed it to me, I walked around the house for what seemed like hours, just looking at my surroundings through this screen without even taking a picture. I think that sparked a fascination in everything visual. The interest stuck with me through middle school, where I’d film silly skate videos and shenanigans with my friends, and on through high school where I began to understand that this is what I was going to do with my life. After graduating high school, I did two semesters at a local community college and only took electives (art, psychology, public speaking, etc.) After the first semester I was called into the Dean’s office for her to inform me that ONLY taking electives was not an option. I dropped out that day and worked part time jobs with the goal of making a living behind a camera. I went full time as a Cinematographer in 2016.

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tsib: Sheesh man. It’s funny, we both can’t deny that we have substantial connections to academia as an MFA-grad and MFA-’bout-to-getter, but we have so many gripes about institutionalized learning. Good on you for getting out of there. I mean, if you’re paying money and taking time to be in college, why the fuck shouldn’t you be able to take what you want?

 

But anyways, it’s really cool that you’ve always been so connected to the camera; it really seems like you were destined to be a film and image maker, and there’s something so special in that. We’ve met a lot of photographers, but not many that have had the camera in their hands from early grade school! The time you’ve spent with the camera definitely comes through in your work. Speaking of your work, we did some snooping on your site and IG and  noticed that documentary, fine art, editorial, and video are all in the mix of what you make. Is there a particular kind of subject that you like to depict most in your work, or do you dig into a little of everything?

 

RG: I do Cinematography work full time so that’s my bread and butter, but photography goes so hand in hand with it that it’s impossible not to equally pursue both. In the video world I’m obsessed with lighting and composition, and the photo world allows me to access a part of myself and capture the visuals of my surroundings that is purely emotional. It doesn’t necessarily have to have such continuity and structure, but can rather exist as an interpretation of a current state of mind that lives in a more contemporary and experimental form.

 

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tsib: Aaaah, okay. We think we understand where you’re coming from. Especially as a video artist dealing with recognizable things in life, like people and nature, we can see how photography adds a little more room for abstraction in comparison to cinema. So photography is a bit of an escape for you in comparison to your more typical explorations in cinematography? 

 

RG: I’d say so. Photography definitely leads me places video necessarily wouldn’t. To pursue a video project, many more resources are needed and it’s hard to keep money entirely out of the equation. Photography allows for more impulsive decisions with no budget.

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tsib: We see what you mean! Both of us have dabbled in cinematography and it’s a much more expensive medium to use. We commend you really! Video is not for the weak. 

 

Okay okay okay, Let’s talk about the work you submitted to FUCK THE SYSTEM!!!. When did you make the image Rubber Bullet Bruise that was your winning entry for the call? What was that environment like?

 

RG:  I made that image probably a week or so after the two initial nights of protests in Richmond, VA during the summer of 2020. The guy in the photo got shot with a rubber bullet after finger gunning some cops during one of the protests. I was so shocked seeing the mark that was left from the bullet, I asked him if he would pose shirtless for a picture. The image sort of represented, for me, the violent result of negligent instigation from white allies. Also very obviously, the senseless aggression that police were using and still continue to use.

 

tsib: Shit, that’s an intense backstory, and a great response to the image. Of course, we were connected to the image at first glance for its raw depiction of cruelty experienced by the people during the riots against police brutality, but knowing that there was some instigation at the hands of someone white in that situation undoubtedly changes the story, at least a little bit. To us, it speaks to the necessity for us to recognize our privileges. After all, we’ve gotta continually do our best to listen to marginalized peoples and unlearn the systemic ways in which those people have been put down. Thanks a lot for sharing that story.

 

So, you also submitted two other very striking images when you applied for the call; a portrait of a stern and powerful looking Black man in a Dashiki with an an assault rifle strung over his shoulder, and a strikingly elegant still life of a seemingly-used tear gas canister. Can you tell us a little bit about these two images and your thought process behind them? Are all of these images part of the same project or series?

 

RG: Yeah so those images were also taken that summer. A lot of my time spent photographing was in the daytime. After the initial weekend of protests, people gathered pretty heavily at MDP Circle (formerly the site of a massive statue of Robert E. Lee which seemingly became the center of the movement in Richmond for the coming months). The man with the rifle was one of the many gathered that day protecting the area and standing ground. He was quite literally standing exactly like in the image when I approached and asked him if I could make a photo of him just as he is. The other image is a still life of a CS Gas canister that hit a friend in the arm during one of the nights. It was donated to me to use for the photography I was making.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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tsib:  Woah, that’s crazy that he was already posed for the shot. He knew you were coming... haha! But in all seriousness, we really appreciate your documentation of this moment in time. They're such powerful images!

 

Your work, especially your documentarian images, feel so personal, pertinent, and sometimes we’d even say a little gut-wrenching. Why do you feel that it’s important for you to make images that depict humanity in this way?

 

RG: I think most Americans have become a little sensitive to the reality of life, nature, society and humanity. Myself included. My anxiety regarding death increases the more distant I am from it. It’s an important process for me to photograph the world as it is because then you have images that accurately reflect the world. Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful landscape and all that but life and society itself is a miracle and I think even tragic as it may be, the whole experience is what makes anything at all beautiful. 

 

tsib: Well said. We don’t live in a perfect world, so there’s no point in pretending like we do. Plus, and this is something that’s been repeated by plenty of people before us, but how are we going to move forward in a positive trajectory if we don’t learn from our past and the problems we’ve created? Depicting truth will always be important, especially in making videos and images about the world around us. 

 

Is there anything that you hope for others to take away from the work you make?

 

RG: I really just hope people can enjoy and relate to the work. I feel like I make what I make as almost a therapy for myself, so if anyone finds any connection at all to my work, that’s a win.

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tsib: Psh, we’re suckers for that sort of art-making. Well, we’re not suckers… we’re just biased ‘cuz we do the same thing! Anyways, we love that you can use art-making as a means of positive self-treatment. 

 

Alright, last but not least, the obvious question; what’s next for ya?

 

RG: We will see!! I’ve been working on a photo book project for a few years now and I’d love to see that come to fruition, also have some exciting news coming up very soon so stay tuned for that :)

 

tsib: That’s wonderful! Well, we’re wishing you the absolute best of luck with your photo book. Any publisher would be lucky to have the opportunity to accentuate your work! Can’t wait to see when that is solidified and what the project is gonna look like. We’ll be sure to stay tuned on that and all of your future endeavors!

 

Thank you so much for sharing your time and artwork with us, Ross!