State of Mind
(2010 - 2013)
"The intensity of a brief experience. The feeling of being utterly suspended in time, beyond past and future
- this belongs to many, perhaps even to all sensations of beauty."
- Peter Zumthor
- this belongs to many, perhaps even to all sensations of beauty."
- Peter Zumthor
State of Mind is a photographic series, and ultimately a book, about the individual quality of mysterious strangers.
The images were captured over a period of several years traveling in countries such as Japan, Portugal, Hungary, Malaysia, Spain, South-Korea, Romania, Russia, Taiwan - and what emerged is a visual narrative on the poetic quality of individuality and what it means to be lost in thoughts.
The State of Mind series is about the “thinking moments” and the uncertain atmosphere surrounding the people and places encountered on the way.
The book is a limited edition of 500 copies and can be acquired online through this website or at selected bookshops.
Exhibitions
2014 - Tokyo Institute of Photography / 72 Gallery - Tokyo, Japan
2014 - B-gallery - Tokyo, Japan
2013 - StudioTeambox - Lisbon, Portugal
2013 - Totodo Bookstore - Tokyo, Japan
Book Reviews
"It could be said that our bodies are just vessels for the ghosts that inhabit them. That’s a fancy way of saying that when we zone out and look like no one’s home; the mind is at work doing a million things at once or not. We have all fallen victim to that slow burn of a brain haze where life is happening all around us and our rhythm falls out of place and we are transported deep within ourselves to parts unknown. State of Mind is a book by Nuno Moreira that captures exactly that."
F-Stop Magazine, review by Richard Storm (click for full article)
"(...) this is a book that has some hidden secrets. Each time you pick it up, there is something new that you’re able to learn. Maybe the readers learn a little about Nuno himself, and maybe a little about his subjects, and maybe as we shall see, just a little about themselves as well. There is feeling and emotion in the pages and it’s not something that you are able to appreciate on first viewing. This to me is a good sign."
Art Photo Feature, review by Tristan Parker (click for full article)
"For some photos if the subject isn’t wearing a mask than their face is obscured due to the shutter speed, a shadow, or a choice of framing. But less literally and more telling, it is the masks people put on once aware of the photographer’s presence that can be attributed again to this theme of loneliness. In his travels to these vastly different countries I think you will see that loneliness is the only universal. We all put on masks to face the world; however there are these moments of lost thought that we are left unmasked."
Japan Camera Hunter, review by Jesse Freeman (click for full article)
"What is perhaps initially surprising however is that the images do not indicate the diversity of these locations, but rather the opposite. The book brings them together under a unifying umbrella where continents, countries and cities melt into a statement on the humanity of their populations. The people here are shown as a series of individuals or small groups. Sometimes we just glimpse their shadows, backs or reflections, sometimes just traces of their existence. A foot steps in to a railway carriage, shadows pass each other on a busy (we assume) pavement, a woman struggles with an umbrella in a sea of snowy tyre tracks or passengers gaze blankly from train windows. There is a lot of travelling going on. People walking the streets, in stations, cafes and trains. There are roads, pavements, walkways and waiting areas. Through constant change and movement Moreira has found a unity in these divergent peoples. Perhaps through his own experiences of travelling these represent stills within a continuous journey. We do however see the diversity of the individuals, each with their own thoughts and in these silent moments."
A Kick up the Arts, review by Martin Jenner (click for full article)
"There’s a lot of contemplating going on in this book. People are just standing, both feet planted on the ground, often in what seems like an odd place to just stop and stand. These people appear completely consumed by whatever thoughts have invaded their minds. It stops me in my tracks and it’s as if I attempt to read their minds. I will never know what they’re thinking, but that doesn’t stop my curiosity from trying."
The New Frame, review by Eric Gunderson
Testimonials from artistic community
"This is one way photographs look like when they’re worth looking at."
Charles Harbutt (Photographer, former president of Magnum)
"Nuno's images are gorgeous, intensely personal, beautifully abstract, and totally cinematic.
They're like stills from a classic film that doesn't exist, or memories from a life-changing journey you never took."
Gary Hustwit (Filmmaker, director of “Helvetica”)
“A very beautiful book. Very sensitive observations of people in dialogue with their surroundings.
Classic black and white studies inspired by light, shadow and people.”
Vaughan Oliver (Designer, v23)
“This book is telling the mysterious story about our common life.
The images are catching the rare moment between the daily dreaming and neverending expecting of something: maybe love, maybe old memories, human touch, sunshine or next bus, who knows (...) It is just a tender and discreet message about us, people - not too dramatic, not too sad or depressive - because it never lacks the kindness and hope.”
Sarah Saudek (Photographer)
"The images in State of Mind whisper the threat of an action the viewer can only ever guess at.
Mysterious, evocative, poetic, full of brilliant light and glorious shadows which expand and contract like the space between breaths."
Lydia Lunch (Musician)
“What a pleasure to be asked to see, feel and touch the mind of Nuno Moreira via his photographs for State of Mind.
Stopped, felt, seen, alerted, and looked into...momentary miracles and stories haikued forever/instantly and then another...
Worlds lived by blinking eyes and living spaciously, quickly and then gone.”
Linda Montano (Performance Artist)
"Excellent, excellent work that (to me) is dreamlike and surreal."
Richard Sandler (Photographer and Filmmaker)
“In a megapolis such as Tokyo the line between natural and artificial has evaporated in most areas... Except for that of light and time. We are conditioned to not differentiate between these polarities when we are inside of these environments, yet the transitions and experiences between them frame our lives and memories. Moreira's perspective has the ability to capture that temporal framing. Amongst a billion LED, phosphorescent, fluorescent, neon, flood, halogen and fluorescents we find lonely individuals within the pool of time and experience, living in a way not so removed from four or five generations before them.”
Stephen F. O’Malley (Musician)