FASHION AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY VLADY VALA
Born in Russia the London based photographer explores identity, energy, and they dynamism of femininity through style.
Your greatest inspirations or influences?
My grandfather. Sadly he passed away last year. He was a sailor and travelled the world. Back in USSR his photographs were the only way to taste the freedom and open the window to the world. He was also taking photographs of the family. I have a set of his prints- they’re very evocative and emotional, just takes you back to specific moments.
Tell us a bit about your creative process and things you are looking forward to this year?
During pandemic I decided to stop and overlook at my creative process. I took few breaths and let it go and wasn’t trying to fix it. Procrastination helped me a lot. I would usually go to the seaside and have a long walk with a switched off brain. That’s how I got re-charged and came up with an exciting project Im working on now. The project is based on four basic elements of nature- earth, air, fire, and water. ‘Undine’, or ‘Water’ project has been published recently and one of the images was selected for a cover.
How has this year changed your creativity or how you see the world changing moving forward?
It’s been a difficult year full or worries and uncertainties, but at the same time great for understanding and appreciating the meaning of life. Finally, after a busy period of working non stop I had enough time to study and do more research. I took at least two ‘light and colour’ masterclasses and gave an online masterclass myself, understood that I fell in love with teaching.
The world of art has changed dramatically. Few years back we could see that fashion imagery was only about fashion, but now it became more performative and conceptual. Digital installations are very popular and a lot of artists get their inspiration from transhumanism and artificial intelligence.
Artists like Frederik Heyman brought something new into industry. I see a lot of boundary-breaking female artists, Katie Burnett is one of my favourite, she’s a photographer and stylist at the same time. Most of her work is rather surrealistic, than traditional fashion imagery, she experiments with different mediums and styles. I am glad that the future seems to be in good hands, young woman artists are also at forefront of the contemporary art scene.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
I don’t consider anyone as an icon. Everyone is unique, there’s something each of us already has, you never know when you can change the world.
Do you think the art world needs to change, and if so how can it be improved
I hope the art world is already changing and it will only get better, although there will be long after-Covid recovery. The artists will have to adopt to it. Art is a virus and it will survive no matter what. I believe that world will be a better place for artists, the whole system will change. We can already see good example of NFT usage. I think it’s revolutionary and very promising. Those who still haven’t heard about it- check it out. By the way, do you know that we have just entered Fourth Industrial Revolution?
Thank you Vlady check out her work here.
