It keeps happening: I wrote Bianca Gutman, also known as Binkypictures, yes, the night before our collaboration got started, because I had to double check for the Facebook announcement. I couldn’t remember if she was sixteen or seventeen, and I was thinking maybe seventeen, actually? Could she be a senior? Really couldn’t remember if she ever told me or not, so I dropped her a line, asking. An hour or two later, Bianca wrote back: I’m fourteen. And my mouth fell open. And then I just had to laugh.
Because I’ve spent a lot of time with Binky’s work the past few months, hanging out at her photostream pretty regularly, flipping pages back and forth, looking through everything she has there—and there’s a lot there—but I was not prepared or that. Fourteen? Then again, now that I think about it, I don’t remember how or where I first came across one of her pictures. Somewhere on Flickr, definitely, but I distinctly remember laughing, thinking it was pretty out there, but in such a lovely and unexpected way, and that the picture had such a huge spirit and wonderful sense of humor.
True enough, there’s always something a little outrageous—well, sometimes a lot outrageous—about Binky’s photographs without ever being the least affected. She’s just having a good time with the camera, no doubt about it. And sometimes it’s a bright humor; sometimes pitch black, and then she mixes it all together with this sense of playfulness, this, Oh, lighten up, people, spirit.
Yes, I would have to say that Binky’s images are always a little off, but in the most fantastic and personal and genuine way. Not to overstate the obvious, but her images never look like anyone else’s because, I think, Bianca really doesn’t see the world like anyone. Every time I look at a new series of images, there’s just so much energy, so much surprise. Every time, I know I’m going to find an image that’s sweetly, bizarrely, just a bit skewed. What’s most exciting to watch, week by week, is that she’s so willing to give anything and everything around her equal consideration: whether it’s a wall of power tools, or a roll of toilet paper, or a bare mattress turned on its side. But it’s so much gut, Binkypictures are so much from gut instinct, with such urgency in her moments.
I knew her work before I wrote her, definitely. What’s funny is that it was almost odd, when I began speaking with her, addressing her by her first name. She and her work, combined, they were Binkypictures, you know? In all seriousness, she is who she is, and what’s so fun to watch is that her photography is always on the lookout for that girl, with all her awe and her curiosity and wonder.
So, yes, once again, I had another moment of practically slapping my forehead, thinking, I work with the most incredibly talented young people. These kids work so hard at what they do. And they have much fun, I’m really lucky to work with each of them. And Binky, Bianca, thank you so much for working with me.
C.E.