Gray Malin teases upcoming UNO collaboration
Gray Malin's photography empire is only growing. Covering many different photography series over the years from different countries, special locations, or dogs, Gray Malin's background has his work prepared to take a focal point on your wall, and him prepared to collaborate with one of America's most popular card games. Gray Malin's upcoming collaboration with UNO offers a unique take on the UNO card deck, and one that will not only be fun to play, but beautiful to look at. Gray Malin discusses what goes into being a photographer, and how his inspiration helped him make his mark with UNO.
Culturess: How did you get your start in photography?
Gray Malin: I started in high school in the darkroom shooting black and white film photography, and it was an instant obsession of mine that carried me through high school and also I cited in college.
Culturess: Where does your inspiration come from?
Gray Malin: My inspiration is really about making work that allows people to feel transported. I want people to feel, when they see a photograph of mine, like an escape to somewhere else, and I think I'm just inspired honestly to create work that makes people feel really good when they see it.
Culturess: In what ways were you influenced to bring the UNO card deck to life?
Gray Malin: I was certainly influenced by the colors of the UNO deck. They are iconic to the game, and I wanted to pair that with my photography, and so I was inspired to choose different themes from my work, including my Bon Voyage travel airplane series, my Dogs and Animals series, and my snow, sort of ski collections as well as my iconic coastal beaches and aerial view series, and those were paired with the colors and different themes of the deck.
Culturess: What drew you to this collaboration?
Gray Malin: Well, not only did I grow up playing UNO, but I feel as though I adore the game and I have two young children so UNO's really been the first game we play as a family. When UNO reached out to Mattel, I was really excited to work on this together, knowing that there was such an authentic relationship behind the collaboration.
Culturess: What went into building your photography empire?
Gray Malin: I think my love for interior design really helps me establish myself as a different type of photographer. I wanted to create work that would look truly beautiful in people's homes and that whenever someone glanced upon a photograph of mine, they would feel transported somewhere and feel good and inspired. At the beginning of my career, I wrote down the phrase, 'Make every day a getaway.' And I've stuck to it for almost 15 years and truly with every image I take, I always hope that it feels like a getaway to those who see it.
Culturess: What can you tease about your upcoming projects?
Gray Malin: The most exciting information I can tease outside of the UNO artiste collaboration, is my next book called "Dogs," which is coming out October 15th. It's a really special book documenting a whimsical journey of me photographing various dog breeds, living in iconic destinations from Beverly Hills to London to New York to Paris to Palm Beach to Aspen, and I hope it's a wonderful holiday gift for all the dog lovers out there.
Culturess: We know UNO brings people together. In what ways to you think art brings people together?
Gray Malin: I think that generally speaking, art is a universal subject matter and I personally believe that UNO, which is beloved by so many countries by so many different age groups, is a relatable feel where people feel inclusive and as a photographer, I always aim to make work that I hope people feel included in and a part of. I think the pairing of artwork on the UNO cards for the UNO artiste series is just such a perfect pairing. I hope that while people are playing the game, they're inspired by my photographs on the cards and that they feel like they're experiencing a little bit of travel while they're playing.
Culturess: How have your travels influenced the type of pictures you take?
Gray Malin: My travels certainly are incredibly inspiring for the photographs. I think that the way that I feel when I'm at a destination, I imagine my audience also would like to feel, so I try to make work that feels very timeless. You don't really know when I took the photograph so if you were to hang it on your wall or own that photograph, you would also feel connected to that destination or place. I really am proud of the lengths that I got to to try and create that timeless nature.
Culturess: When you talk about a card deck's worth of photos it's a little different than when you go somewhere and take many pictures. So, what went into kind of trying to decide how you were going to go about this project?
Gray Malin: Well, it was actually kind of tough to narrow down. There are so many photographs, but once we came up with the themes, the dogs and the animals together felt like such a strong theme. The snow and winter ski images felt like a really fun theme that spoke to a different season than, for example, the coastal beaches and aerial view shots, and then to sort of tie it all together, the Bon Voyage airplane Windows series felt like a nice connector between all of the projects.
Culturess: As a photographer, what is the most important part of putting together a photography series?
Gray Malin: My work is really meant to transport people, and when they see an image of mine, I hope they feel like they're escaping to somewhere they either have been or aspire to go. To me, the most important part of creating a fine art series is inclusivity and making people feel a part of that celebration.
UNO Artiste: Gray Malin will be available at MattelCreations.com and Macy's beginning on Thursday, September 19 at 9:00 AM PST.
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