Artist Bio: Dinesh Boaz
Dinesh Boaz creates a dynamic juxtaposition between the natural landscape and our involvement in it. This fresh perspective is definitely attractive, but also reveals a reflective state which is introspective, as well as contemplative. Dinesh Boaz explores the area beneath him via a helicopter to achieve a ‘top’ view. As he states, “By honing-in on the specific details of the earth below, I can highlight . the remoteness and stillness in water, sand and rugged space like terrain, but also connect back to our existence with human form and the life within." Emphasizing lines, colors, shapes and an overall pattern, Boaz’s thoughts develop from his musical background. Originally a recording studio owner and music producer in New York City, he combines the visual and performing arts. The artist is able to see musical notes and frequencies as different values of color, or color palettes, on the spectrum. In 2021, Dinesh was honored to join the elite group of Fujifilm X-Photographers which led to him being a panelist on the January global Fujifilm X-Summit. In addition, he was featured in the recent Microsoft Surface artist spotlight series. Boaz was born in Chennai, India, graduated with his B.A. from Rutgers University, and in not so many years, has had numerous exhibits, awards and magazine reviews across the United States. When he is not behind the lens in the helicopter, Dinesh is the Creative Director and Co-Founder of Direct Agents, a digital marketing agency based in NYC and LA. He lives in NYC with his wife and two kids.
Artist Statement:
I choose to capture the world from helicopters to unravel an unfamiliar world within familiar places. I seek to find those unique stories and the images I create are deliberate reactions and interpretations of the environments unfolding. The tension of working in cramped quarters of a fast-moving helicopter drives the energy and rhythm of each shoot; and the door open to over 1000 feet between my lens and the ground below opens up new possibilities and angles to explore.
In each shoot, I work with the pilot to coordinate my placement and view over each location. I work with altitudes and sharp bank turns to achieve camera work over what I seek - A top down view of the world. My lens is most drawn to pockets of color, lines, patterns, curves, and abstractions created in the unlikely merging of opposite landscapes. By honing in on the specific details of the earth below, I can highlight the remoteness and stillness in water, sand and rugged spacelike terrain, but also connect back to our existence with human form and the life within. It is this juxtaposition of humanity along with the awe-inspiring natural elements that I am searching for in each flight.
I want to transport the viewer of my work into a unique dream-like meditative state - suspending time, expanding space and levitating one above our natural world. There is a beauty in finding this moment and the overwhelming emotion that strikes me when the shot aligns - a feeling I want to convey again and again in my images.
What I hope to achieve through my photography, is a shared view of the world and a mutually inspired experience. While I might play the role of orchestrator and purveyor of the journey through these landscapes, my hope is that one can experience the same feelings of inspiration, calm and positive energy I feel in the helicopter cockpit at 1000 feet. - Dinesh Boaz