Traces is a photo exhibition by Stephanie Galea, a Maltese fashion photographer and visual artist based in London, that offers an immersive celebration of the female body. It features series of works depicting female bodies set within a natural landscape.
Almost like landscapes themselves, the bodies are incredibly detailed – freckles and even tiny hairs are visible in the photographs. The viewer is almost compelled to trace these forms as the sense of sight stimulates our sense of touch, possibly evoking a memory.
The paint represents these sensory imaginings; past, present or even future, drawn by the artist as she experienced the images. Additionally themes of exploration, sensuality and freedom are illustrated through the choice of colour – primaries representing the essence of all other colours.
The bodies are incredibly detailed
The nature of the lines transition from on the body to the space around it; the framing changes from single meticulous crops to whole beings in a space as the bodies are liberated on this illustrative journey. Through the female gaze, the body is used as a canvas to create harmonious lines. All the images are faceless, as we are then able to project our own bodies or those we have been connected to, onto these works.
Red tracesA Central Saint Martins (UAL) graduate, Galea is a regular contributor to prominent fashion publications, including Vogue Italia, Vogue Portugal, Vogue Arabia, Harpers Bazaar and I-D, among others, and her clients include Vivienne Westwood, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Dunhill, Ted Baker and Kate Spade.
She creates narratives through fashion imagery; her inspiration often drawn from people in her life, scenes and feelings she remembers growing up in Malta.
Instead of focusing on capturing beautiful women in unrealistic and dreamy settings, her work often includes a collaboration with real people in mundane situations or traditional settings.
Galea has exhibited her work on numerous occasions across London, Malta, Dubai and Washington DC.
Stephanie Galea’s exhibition Traces is on at the Valletta Contemporary, 15-17 East Street, Valletta, until June 14.