Mobile Photography Intimate Interview with Cintia Malhotra from Union County, New Jersey, United States
Our eighty first interview in this series of intimate interviews is with talented mobile photographer and artist Cintia Malhotra born and raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York and currently living in Union County, New Jersey, United States. With its temperate prose, compelling images and thorough answers (both in terms of art and text), this is an exemplary mobile photographic reference interview. Enjoy.
To read the other published interviews in this series including artists, Adria Ellis, Rino Rossi, Mehmet Duyulmus, Alexis Rotella, Lou Ann Sanford Donahue, Irene Oleksiuk, Kerry Mitchell, Filiz Ak, Dale Botha, Lisa Mitchell, M. Cecilia Sao Thiago, Deborah McMillion, Rita Colantonio, Amy Ecenbarger, Jane Schultz, Anca Balaj, Joyce Harkin, Armineh Hovanesian, Kate Zari Roberts, Vicki Cooper, Peter Wilkin, Barbara Braman, Becky Menzies, Sukru Mehmet Omur, Sarah Bichachi, Michel Pretterklieber, Alon Goldsmith, Judy Lurie Wahlberg, Andrea Bigiarini, Sean Hayes, Oola Cristina, Kathleen Magner-Rios Linda Toki, Deb Field, Emilo Nadales, Lydia Cassatt, David Hayes, Jean Hutter, Frederic Deschênes, Mark Schnidman, Fatma Korkut, Fleur Schim, Rob Pearson-Wright, Dieter Gaebel, James Ellis, Marco P Prado, Jeronimo Sanz, Manuela Matos Monteiro, Bleu Chemiko, Manuela Basaldella, Stefania Piccioni, Luis Rodríguez, Marilisa Andriani (@mitrydate) Mayte Balcells (@artofmayte), Nicole Christophe, Jennifer Graham, Cathrine Halsør, Paul Toussaint, Carol Wiebe, Julie Denning, Kim Clayton (@berleyart), Karen Messick, Serap Utaş, MaryJane Rosenfeld, Paul Suciu, Susan Latty (@pause.and.breathe), John Nieto, Phyllis Shenny, Joy Barry, Max Lies Derdonk, Rita Tipunina, Violet Martins, Nizzar Ben Chekroune, Lynette Sheppard, Paul-Andre Hamel, Rejane Rubino, Susan Detroy, Rosalie Heller, Wayman Stairs and myself, go here.
All images ©Cintia Malhotra
What was your earliest childhood ambition?
I was curious about the darkroom when I was about 4 or 5 years old. My family would watch a lot of detective shows – Columbo and Night Stalker come to mind. There was always a scene in which the main character was in a darkroom, bathed in the glow of the safelight and developing a print which had a clue to the plot. I thought it was magic! So, I would take my mother’s headshots (she was a performer) and dip them in a sink full of water pretending I was developing them. So, my first ambition could be considered to be darkroom technician – ha! I later developed a love for theater – in secondary school being an actress was my ambition. At University, I decided to focus on graphic art and photography.
First recognition?
In 4th grade I won a Fire Safety poster contest. I still have the trophy somewhere.
First job?
I got my first job at 15 and was hired as a sales/stock person at a children’s clothing store in downtown Brooklyn, NY.
Private or State school?
Pubic school for primary/secondary education and State school for University.
University or work?
Both. I worked full-time while attending University part-time – except the last two years were full-time at university and part-time work at a local photo studio. Loved working off the debt and gaining experience at the same time.
Who was or still is your mentor?
I never really had one but enjoyed reading about other artists and learning from their experiences.
How physically fit are you?
I try to get to the gym at least twice a week but I also take long walks (2-4 miles) in a local park to relax.
Ambition or Talent? What matters more to success?
My answer would have been different a decade ago but my current self would say ambition. I will also add that I consider success to be a relative term. For many it is material success that counts, for me it is not.
How politically committed are you?
More so now than ever before. It has something to do with hindsight and an unveiling of certain truths because of it. Some of my personal and recent work does have a political angle.
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
I have everything I need as far as possessions but would want more time. Time has become truly precious to me… time to recover from a daily routine, to experiment more and to create.
What is your biggest extravagance?
My biggest extravagance would be on photo equipment. Plus, the cost of printing supplies such at paper and toner.
In which places are you happiest?
Walking in a peaceful solitude along a shoreline is my happy place for sure. Anywhere by a body of water is great.
What ambitions do you still have?
I want to be a good example to the younger generation of artists who weren’t born into privilege that their desire to create can still be a reality. There is so much work I still need to make. I want it to evoke feeling and make people question more. Definitely want to incorporate different mediums, techniques in the future and incorporate more of my love of theater when there is time, time, time…
What drives you on?
My mortality… plus a healthy competition with myself.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
So far, my greatest achievement has been creating a relatively good life for myself — things could have turned out so different fo me. As an artist, I would have to say getting published in an international fine art magazine. Felt proud going to a bookstore to pick up an issue.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
A lack of manners or consideration for others. Hypocrisy – especially from those who talk about how righteous they are but don’t put it into action.
If your twenty-year-old self could see you now, what would he think?
Given her circumstances at the time, she’d be surprised and very proud.
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?
I really try not to hold too much value in objects. Never want them to own me.
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Greed and materialism… it is the root of most of our global challenges. Hmmm… might add elitism, it definitely relates to the disparity that is getting worse especially in …
Do you believe in the afterlife?
Yes, but it doesn’t mean it will be on this planet or even in this dimension.
If you had to rate you satisfaction about your life so far from 1 to 10, what would you score?
7… but I’m not done yet.
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
