All images and concepts shown throughout this site are the registered copyright and intellectual property of Anna-Maria Vag. No unauthorized use or reproduction of these images is permitted without written consent from Anna-Maria Vag and Vagfoto.
Wards ©Anna-Mária Vág
Growing up in New York City, I developed, at an early age, a visceral emotional connection with, and a deep respect for, the impact buildings have on our everyday lives. The pre-war building we lived in had an eerily human presence in my life. As the Superintendent’s daughter, I watched my father tend that old beige brick building day in and day out with the same care one would show an ailing elder. A 1991 slide presentation of the original Penn Station, before and after it was imploded, ignited my passion for documenting vanishing vernacular buildings. An oil painter at the time, the painting tradition continues to have a profound influence on my work, while my long-time filmmaking career contributes a cinematic mise-en-scène approach.
My photography explores and anthropomorphizes each building’s character by mimicking formal painted portraits with the same perspective; I equate the architectural facade with the human face of a distinguished subject with a wealth of life experience. These portraits aim to articulate the aesthetic, historical and utilitarian value of the everyday structures in our built environment to ensure that our architectural heritage survives so we can learn from it, and be inspired by it, for generations to come. The process of creating them has taught me that human and building character is built the same way as any artistic undertaking-- by using trial and error to search for and find meaning in our everyday lives and surroundings over time.
--Anna-Mária Vág
portraits of our built environment by Anna-Mária Vág