The New Grunge Kids
With Confused Culture
Grunge or Underground? Both or Neither? Photographer Eliya aka Confused Culture knows all the labels and their art is a documentation of the young people rejecting and embracing them. We spoke to Eliya about their art, the scene and the agency they are building out of it.
Interview by Esta Maffrett | 25.10.22
So when did you first pick up a camera?
I actually have a funny story my mum told me. So age 3 we were going to France, I think on a Eurostar and someone left a small little camera that I found and picked up. I literally held on to the camera for the rest of the journey and took it with me into France and back home, I still have it now. Obviously I saw it as a toy, I was a 3 year old but I still remember that story. It was one of them small 2000s cameras, like the compact ones everyone had for holidays and stuff.
When did you start photographing and documenting friends?
I was 16 when I got my first Canon digital camera. It was for a school project and the project was about Identities. It was a summer project and I went to my first pride, I went with a school friend and I saw the most beautiful identity and had this urge to take a picture of them. This was my first time taking a picture of a stranger and I went up to them, told them they were so beautiful and asked to take the photo. I knew nothing about the settings, like what am I doing? I just clicked and literally was like this feels so good. The person was beautiful, the way they were styled with gems on their face and this mullet going on, it was just so beautiful. I still remember feeling so crazy about it and knew I had to do it more.
Who are the people and the scenes you capture?
I think with a lot of the people that I photograph, we have gone through a lot of things. And it’s not necessarily a position of me coming into the scene and photographing people but instead we’ve grown together. We’re finding people who have been kicked out, who have struggled with drugs, people who don’t have parents and then we’re documenting these things. My mum has always told me anything bad in your life just capitalize on it and that has lead me to see my trauma, my friends traumas and the way we live as art. We can look back and be like wow there’s this essence of beauty coming through the things that we’re gone through and the struggles. It’s hard to kind of just alchemize that whole experience into a scene because if i’m just saying like grunge culture or underground culture it’s so much more than that. I think to kind of just get people to understand how we’re living I would say grunge culture, going to raves, experimenting with drugs and fashion, piercings if you want to talk about the aesthetics of it. But more philosophical, I’d say underground culture.
Why is it important to document the scene, it must be more than just to capitalise?
Exactly, no, when I say capitalise I don’t mean like monetize, it’s more that I want people to see how we’re living by having our voices heard. Going to school our voices weren’t heard, parents weren’t listening to us and it kept us in this situation. But money is rarely involved. Other people see it as a scene but it’s just naturally happening. It’s what was shown in the media that gave it the name grunge, the news reporters were calling it Grunge more than anyone.
"I was seeing how there was this visual literacy growing within the industry, especially with androgyny and non binary people but I didn’t want to see them become commodified. I wanted to know they would be protected by someone who is also non binary, they could have freedom to express themselves and not be just a character for the industry."
Have you found your practice or are you still searching and experimenting?
I’m definitely getting into more videography. Recently I shot with a friend called Alex who is amazing, he shot 16mm film with the camera that kind of looks like a gun. Oh my gosh, literally we worked together and I'm like wow I want to do more of this, it’s cool. I’m learning bass as well and getting into skating more, I don’t know, there’s so much. That’s what i’m kind of focusing on right now.
How did your agency Blue Agency grow from your work?
So I think in terms of work, because before I’d get commissioned to do stuff for brands and it was nice because it was always my friends getting involved and getting them paid which was a good thing. And then I was seeing how there was this visual literacy growing within the industry, especially with androgyny and non binary people but I didn’t want to see them become commodified. I wanted to know they would be protected by someone who is also non binary, they could have freedom to express themselves and not be just a character for the industry. I was like let me actually try and do this, I have so many beautiful friends that deserve to be seen. The connections now that I have with brands are so respectful, they’re using pronouns and asking about people’s identity, their piercings and seeing how it compliments their business, it feels so good. It’s so refreshing, especially with my work where there is a solid identity to it and then also the models that I scout are able to be themselves. It all just grew from there.
Do you have a favourite photograph or a night that summed up what you want to capture?
I think my most recent work makes so much more sense and I feel so connected to it. We shot with this crucifix and it was my favourite photoshoot, I actually cried doing it. It’s about Catholic guilt and religion and i’ve never really explored that side of myself or expressed it through my art. Religion is big, a lot of people are religious and I don’t want to offend or hurt anyone who is Catholic but at the same time it is such a big part of my life and left me so scared. So i’m slowly taking risks and being smart but it’s a whole project that i’m working on.
Because like, religion is like a lot of people who are religious and I don't want to, like, offend or hurt anyone who is like Catholic, but at the same time, it is such a big part of my life. And I was just so scared that like maybe me almost reaching across. Can I flip the camera? Yeah, you got, I literally build the cross. And I was just like, oh my gosh, is this like blasphemy? Literally, but I think it's like slowly taking risks and being like, smart with it in my office. I think that's what I'm doing now. Like it's a whole project that I'm working on.
What are you looking forward to in the future?
Oh i’m excited to see a new wave of artists as well as the people and the way people express themselves. I’m excited for that and to see what’s gonna be in our visual literacy and the kind of identities we’re gonna see in adverts or like walking in shows. I’m just excited for the whole movement I guess, like a whole new art.
If you could put any object into the Museum of Youth Culture what would it be and why?
Raving shoes… wait… the drip! Oh my gosh, the way that people dress at raves, the pieces of clothing but the shoes! Osiris D3’s. They’re like the best skate and raving shoes, they’re just so thick and vibey.
You can follow more of Eliya's work on instagram
@confusedcu1ture
@blueagencyldn
