underwater photography by christy lee rogers evokes the beauty of baroque paintings

the ‘muses’ photo series by christy lee rogers could be more easily compared to caravaggio’s baroque paintings than any conventional piece of contemporary photography. the hawaiian visual artist produces her colorful, luminous works by submerging her subjects, a barrage of bodies, in water at night and photographing them using the refraction of light.
our hopes and expectations, 2018
all photographs © christy lee rogers

in an interview with PHOTOFAIRS | shanghai, rogers explains that the inspiration for ‘muses,’ came after a year of ‘losing many people in [her] life,‘ and a drive to complete ‘everything [she] was capable of doing now.’ thus in moments of being creatively blocked, the release of tension is illustrated via an entanglement of bodies and fabrics in the illuminated body of water that produce a scene capable of capturing a beautiful symbiosis of vulnerability and tragedy, expressing ‘the human condition.‘

the elements, 2018

a pioneer in underwater photography, rogers’ process of intricate yet fragile experimentation sets a new standard for photography. by incorporating and studying untraditional elements such as the relationship between movement, color, water and light, rogers is capable of transforming and manipulating the artistic medium into an ecology of emotions.

the works will be on view with art labour (shanghai) at PHOTOFAIRS | shanghai, which takes place at the shanghai exhibition center from september 21 – 23, 2018.

somewhere under the light, 2018

shine, 2018

imagine, 2018

if the heart could fly, 2018

gold infatuation, 2018

evolution, 2018

dreamland, 2018

cloud nine, 2018

art labor gallery, shanghai, china exhibition, 2018
view of the exhibition

photographs printed on translucent fabric

via colossal