ELLEN VIRGONA, FOUR SEASONS.
KNOWN FOR HER WORK IN THE FASHION SPHERE, PHOTOGRAPHER ELLEN VIRGONA, HAS AN INNATE ATTRACTION TO THE CANDID AND THE FLEETING, CAPTURING THE POIGNANT AND THE MUNDANE TO EQUAL ACCORD. AFTER A SERIES OF PERSONAL TRAGEDIES, VIRGONA ‘FELT AN URGENCY TO DOCUMENT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE’, A NEED TO SAVOUR EVERY INSTANT.
CULMINATING MORE THAN A DECADE’S WORK AND DOCUMENTATION, ELLEN EXHIBITS ‘FOUR SEASONS’, ON SHOW AT CHINA HEIGHTS GALLERY THROUGH NOW UNTIL THE 1ST OF MAY, 2022. CAREFULLY CURATED TO SHOW THE SPECTACULAR AND THE MUNDANE, THE DARK AND THE LIGHT, THE EXHIBITION SEES SEVEN PRINTED EXCERPTS ACCOMPANY A CAREFULLY CURATED BOOK BY THE SAME NAME, ‘FOUR SEASONS’.
READ ON TO HEAR ELLEN DISCUSS HER MOST PERSONAL PROJECT YET, AND DISCOVER A GLIMPSE OF THE MAGIC.
‘WHEN I STARTED TAKING PHOTOS, IT WASN'T FOR THE PURPOSE OF ANYONE ELSE TO SEE, IT WAS REALLY FOR MYSELF AND I THINK IT TAKES AN INDIVIDUAL CREATING SELF-INITIATED EMOTIONAL CONTENT THAT IS NOT NEEDED, BUT MAKES THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE.’
‘WHEN I STARTED TAKING PHOTOS, IT WASN'T FOR THE PURPOSE OF ANYONE ELSE TO SEE, IT WAS REALLY FOR MYSELF AND I THINK IT TAKES AN INDIVIDUAL CREATING SELF-INITIATED EMOTIONAL CONTENT THAT IS NOT NEEDED, BUT MAKES THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE.’
‘MOST OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT ARE IN THE BOOK HAVE NEVER BEEN SHARED BEFORE. YOU SEE EVERYTHING ON SOCIAL MEDIA NOW AND I WANTED TO CREATE SOMETHING TACTILE, TANGIBLE, WHERE THE VIEWER COULD BE IN THE MOMENT, NOT JUST CLICK ‘NEXT’,’ SHE SAID.
‘EVERYTHING CHANGES…WHETHER THAT BE TWO MONTHS, FOUR YEARS, OR A DECADE LATER, OUR MEMORIES ARE REFRAMED CONSTANTLY. SO TOO ARE THE WAYS WE WERE FEELING IN THAT MOMENT, AND HOW WE CHOOSE TO REMEMBER THEM.’
‘IT’S FUNNY, OFTEN WHEN MAKING SELECTS OF MY COMMISSIONED WORK, I’M ALWAYS LEANING TOWARDS THE IMAGES THAT ARE IN-BETWEEN SHOTS. AN AWKWARD FACE OF A SUBJECT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION, OR WHATEVER I CONSIDER TO BE ‘HONEST’ MOMENTS. I THINK IT’S SOMETHING I’M ALWAYS SUBCONSCIOUSLY SEARCHING FOR WITH MY VISUAL EYE.’
IMAGES COURTESY OF ELLEN VIRGONA
