Venus' Garden, 2021
Ella Pavlides
Ella Pavlides is a portrait, documentary, and fashion photographer born, raised, and living in South London. Despite her urban roots, her work transcends the city's boundaries, venturing into the dreamlike and ethereal. Her fascination with light began with early experiences at Olafur Eliasson’s Weather Project at the Tate and the Light Show at the Hayward Gallery, further enriched by her cinematographer mother, who instilled in her a deep appreciation for the nuances of light and colour. Further influenced by the mythologies shared by her Greek father during her childhood, Ella blends these inspirations with her acute attention to detail to create spellbinding and unusual imagery. Often drawn to the natural realm and the feminine form, she likes to combine these subjects, capturing them in powerful yet sensitive poses reminiscent of statues of Greek gods and figures emulated in art and culture throughout history. Ella aims to capture something real and true while also infusing a mystical element that brings a heightened and surreal atmosphere to all her images, creating a world viewers can lose themselves in.
Notes from Curator
Ella’s work explores the feminine presence in nature, through magical landscapes. As we looked through Ella’s archive this image stood out to us, with the figures flowing locks emblematic of Birth of Venus By Sandro Botticelli, this image offers a scene of wonderment. Where woman and nature become intertwined in blissful harmony.
In the process of selecting works for this exhibition, the artist Ella Pavliades came to us in a very organic way. In presenting the theme of the show to exhibitor Imogen Allen, she mentioned Ella’s work and how it connects to the theme. We loved how these two artists have been inspired by one another, through creative trips together, with Ella using Imogen is alot of her personal photography. We’ve exhibited their work side by side as a homage to their creative collaboration.