Ralph Maratta works under the name 2Worlds and works in film (large, medium, and small format) and digital capture.
Reared in the darkroom, he is skilled in printmaking. "In the darkroom, I sort of transform and become laser-focused, slower,
methodical, retentive, over-demanding, and a perfectionist – all of the things I'm not in daily life," he says. He also works in
specialized digital workflows and processes that include carbon-based pigment inks.
Music influences his photography most, citing, "It's all there; tonal scale, contrast, brightness, darkness, rhythm, melody and
counterpoint." The nature of aesthetics intrigues him most as he thinks aesthetic experiences can connect us to something
universal, like a collective unconscious. "I can work in different subject matters, styles, and photographic mediums, but running
through all my imagery are ideas on the connectivity of all living things, the potential of empty space, differing realities in any given
moment, and the merging of very old and new ideas."
Photography, for Maratta, is a personal responsibility, a labor of love of sorts. "Everybody has a core purpose or passion to unearth,
and photography happens to be mine. There is a Japanese word, "ikigai," that refers to a passion that gives value and joy to life,
and when we pursue and participate in our core passions, it becomes a form of meditation," says Maratta. "It can be anything:
art, golf, basketball, stamp collecting, knitting, business, woodworking, writing, crafting, etc. The trick is finding one’s ikigai and
keeping at it despite whatever stuff the world throws at you. It's a sort of battle sometimes, but the opportunity to work things out
is what makes life so precious.
Whether through his photography or what he seeks in others' creative work, Maratta looks for clues. "I think all the answers we
need are all around us, all the time. Sometimes in more literal ways and often in abstract ways that often play out like intuition,
a muscle that grows with continued use. As a photographer and viewer of many things, I depend on art for signposts along the
way (of life)," he concludes.
Maratta has been featured in several one-person shows and published in a variety of publications.
