‘I believe everything in life is fleeting,’ he says, ‘I don’t think I’m going to live in New York long-term so I have to work as if I won’t be here tomorrow.’
Audaz works at a furious pace, photographing the people of New York. ‘I’ve never shot models,’ he says, ‘I’ve always 100% shot activists, painters, actors, people who were doing something for a bigger cause, that really want to keep “doing.”
His subjects include East Side community organizer Chino Garcia, restaurateur Luis Fargas and veteran photographer Marlis Momber. ‘I tell stories as the artists tell it to me,’ he says. ‘I direct by mostly putting things together that flow with me. I want to hear what they have to say.’ The results include short, emotive documentaries and photographs – lots of photographs!
‘When I first got to New York something happened to me,’ says Audaz. ‘In Puerto Rico I was used to doing a lot of safe, cookie-cutter commercial work. The moment I came to New York and went out with my camera for the first time, my work started changing.’ He still does commercial work but was inspired by New York’s melting pot of different voices to document them. ‘I met Armenians, Lebanese, Puerto Ricans, everyone you could imagine. It was like an artistic renaissance. I wanted to be wowed by people and I am every day.’
Audaz says he wants to tell the story of people and events that move him personally, such as circumstances happening in Puerto Rico and transplants who are, ‘treated like second class citizens, especially if they have a funny-sounding name and can’t speak English.’
Audaz’s portfolio is jam-packed with colorful street photography, entertaining documentaries like Garbagia and wrinkles-and-all portraits. Last year, his hard work led to a residency at The Loisaida Center on East 9th Street. ‘For the better part of a year,’ he says, ‘I could bring in anyone I wanted, photograph them and ask them questions.’ Audaz drew from his film background to direct his interview subjects, revealing their personalities and capturing something beautiful. ‘They’re not just a body,’ he says, ‘I want to know them. I tell them what I want to do then let them bring their own two cents to the circumstances. ‘
Audaz has some great advice for artists who want to follow in his footsteps. ‘At film school they should teach persistence,’ he says. ‘You can stop for a thousand reasons but if you really want this, just go do it. Do it because you believe you have a burning desire to say something. And don’t try to control everything, just do. All life is one giant chaos, embrace it! You can prepare but everything can go wrong. If you know your craft, you have to just get on set and do. That’s my mantra, anyone who knows me will say, “that guy just doesn’t stop.”
Audaz has no intention of stopping. He continues to enjoy each moment to the full and his art gets better and better with this chaotic momentum. ‘As filmmakers and artists, we’re vessels,’ says Audaz. ‘We have a story we want to tell and we’re passionate about it. There are so many stories out there.’
