Reviews
Ideami's work has received praise in multiple media channels around the world.
Here we include 4 examples coming from Italy, Croatia, England and Spain
Italy
Carlo Gallerati, Owner of Galleria Gallerati in Rome, Italy
"Javier Ideami è un artista eclettico. Nella costruzione delle sue opere si serve della matita, della fotocamera, della macchina da presa, fino ai più nuovi e sofisticati procedimenti di elaborazione delle immagini e del suono. Sicché non è facile - e del resto neanche necessario - inquadrarlo in una sola delle possibili definizioni: disegnatore, fotografo, cineasta, artista multimediale. Ideami è un chiaro esempio di professionista dell'arte dei nostri tempi, un abilissimo conoscitore degli strumenti messi a disposizione dalla scienza, sia nell'espressione delle proprie creazioni concettuali che nell'interpretazione a scopo comunicativo di ideee altrui." (Carlo Gallerati)
Croatia
Zeljko Tutnjevic, Journalist of Dubrovackoj Izlozbi
Exhibit: Palazzo Ranjina Dubrovnik (Croatia)
(Translated to English)
In the exhibit - Natural Movement - Javier Ideami links the movement of the human figure with different natural places , creating scenarios where times stops and beauty emerges from the fusion between the different forzes of nature. One of his specialities is the art of digital retouching and in this exhibit he takes it to the limit in order to create works that seem real but at the same time generate moments of harmony between the human figure and the forzes of nature around it. Javier Ideami focuses his attention in the figure and its surroundings and with the dancing movements of the fragile figure, generates enthusiasm with an almost surreal effect, and with intense elegance and beauty, the author, creatively and intuitively takes the figure to the frontal position in the stage, using the backgrounds to express the depth of what is universal and emphasizing the space with delicate details. Contrasts full of light, in a romantic and poetic atmosphere, reveal a creative extasis that fills all his creations, capturing the emotions of the audience.
The artist reveals himself as a lyric poet that with his creations shows the magic of the unity between the human body and nature, light and shadow, as creator of harmony between the human being and all that surrounds it. And in this way the artist shares with us his unique, fascinating and personal artistic vision.
Javier Ideami expresses similar visions in other creative areas such as filmmaking, music, design and multimedia artworks.
England
Film Review by Ian Viggars MA BA
Short Film - 'El Cuadro' 2007 (dir. Javier Ideami)
In keeping with his profession as a noted artistic photographer Javier Ideami's nine and a half minute short El Cuadro works as a beautifully shot and beguilingly mysterious film. Showing no sign of struggle moving from the still art-form of photography (at which he excels) into moving images, El Cuadro exists perfectly as one of Ideami's mysterious, hyper-real photographs brought into motion. What the film is trying to say is suitably ambiguous and the director's own interpretation of it being a "metaphor for obsession" doesn't throw much light onto the subject either. However, like the surrealist's early experiments with film, narrative isn't seen as being important focus here. Instead ambiguous images, appearing as if they would in dreams, and bearing little relation to one another, make up the film's appeal, and Ideami's background has prepared him well for living up to this original surrealist manifesto.
The film is shot in dramatic high-contrast black and white and is largely set on the volcanic island of Lanzarote. In absence of any clearly defined story this striking and imposing landscape provides much of the film's drama, as evidenced by a thrilling and perfectly judged fast-forward panning shot that takes up almost a minute of the films first half. Ideami's camera is evidently impressed with the rocky, desolate volcanoes and the vast cloud filled sky above them, and his natural photographer's eye captures their glory brilliantly. The use of the fast zoom, and some other super-imposition effects used elsewhere hint at another of Ideami's characteristic traits, his fascination with the contrast between technology and art. While El Cuadro clearly belongs in the realm of the surreal filmmakers it is shot with a professionalism often lacking from his experimental contemporaries. The crisp focus, the drifting panning shots, and the skilful editing recall the Oscar winning likes of Christopher Doyle, Gus van Sant's favoured cinematographer.
Despite its technical precision the film is anything but cold. Set against the mountainous terrain is a young girl wearing a simple black dress (Barbara Kalas). We first glimpse her standing in a sparse room looking at a photo of the volcanoes which she eventually merges with, finding her slight figure contrasted against the unforgiving natural landscape. At first she performs a solitary dance, seemingly happy with her surreal state of reverie. However a storm soon breaks out making the previously calm-seeming surroundings suddenly take on an air of menace. The girl starts to writhe around on the floor in distress and a brief close-up reveals a tear in her eye. A shot of some caged monkeys at this point may seem like a slightly hackneyed surrealist reference too far but does nothing to detract from the mysterious and haunting atmosphere the film expertly creates. The score also adds to this and helps to symbolise the darkening of the mood halfway through. It starts off as a sparse lone violin playing a mournful refrain before building into something altogether more abstract and discordant, like Bernard Herrmann's more experimental scores. In short, all of Ideami's ideas gel together brilliantly, gleefully avoiding the rushed narrative trappings of much short filmmaking, as can be expected from someone from as artistic a background as his.
Ian Viggars MA BA
Spain
Review by Javier Ferrer from Javier Ferrer Culture Blog
Ideami's Photography and Digital Art
"En esta primera entrada del año, voy a escribir sobre uno de los mejores fotógrafos europeos de hoy en día, alguien que lleva a sus espaldas varios premios de cine y fotografía europeos, y con una larga lista de exhibiciones por galerías de media Europa.
Como amante de la buena fotografía que soy, cada vez que Ideami saca a la luz alguna nueva serie de fotografías no puedo sino solamente sorprenderme de la calidad de sus trabajos. La composición de sus fotos, su colorido, la maestría de sus retoques fotográficos hacen de Ideami, sin duda, uno de los máximos exponentes de la fotografía artística española y europea del momento. Y sino, juzgad vosotros mismos la sensibilidad y excelencia que demuestra en todas sus obras.
Sin más os dejo con algunas de sus últimas fotografías que estoy seguro os encantarán. Podéis encontrar muchas más en su página www.ideami.com en donde también tiene disponibles vídeos de sus cortos cinematográficos, y quién sabe, si os animáis, podéis contactar con él para una sesión fotográfica en la que os aseguro saldréis retratados bajo la mejor de las miradas."
