Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Surreal Underwater Fairytales by Photographer Elena Kalis

Underwater photographer Elena Kalis makes fairytales a reality and turns the ordinary into dreams. Looking through her lens is like being transported into an imaginary land. Based in the Bahamas, Kalis makes use of the nearby ocean as her studio. Her models may be holding their breath but they express deep, whimsical emotions in complex poses that can only be achieved in water. In some portraits, they are literally walking through a magic portal that is the surface. For her Alice in Waterland series, we follow Alice as she steps into a crystal blue looking glass and floats down an invisible tunnel to have tea with the Mad Hatter. It is a story told a thousand times over, but Kalis manages to bring a fresh perspective with just the natural beauty of nature. Read more after the jump.

Underwater photographer Elena Kalis makes fairytales a reality and turns the ordinary into dreams. Looking through her lens is like being transported into an imaginary land. Based in the Bahamas, Kalis makes use of the nearby ocean as her studio. Her models may be holding their breath but they express deep, whimsical emotions in complex poses that can only be achieved in water. In some portraits, they are literally walking through a magic portal that is the surface. For her Alice in Waterland series, we follow Alice as she steps into a crystal blue looking glass and floats down an invisible tunnel to have tea with the Mad Hatter. It is a story told a thousand times over, but Kalis manages to bring a fresh perspective with just the natural beauty of nature. Other characters that she visits in her work include Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, and Sailor Moon. Every day colors and items such as tea cups, toys, and umbrellas look brand new and warped. This surprising palette works exceptionally well in the context of her surreal scenes and subjects. The success of her images can be attributed to practiced technique, but most importantly a ‘wish I’d thought of that’ creative vision.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Alessandro Fogo’s oil paintings reach back through time, taking a deep inspiration from history with stirring results. There's a sense of ritual in many of the Italian artist's recent work, with connections so numerous that the end result is a broader look at our human history.
San Francisco-raised artist Kat Toronto blends performance art and photography under the working name of Miss Meatface, using both vintage Polaroid and contemporary methods. The artist says part of her work stems in having been diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2010 and subsequently having to receive a full hysterectomy. Toronto now uses her moniker "as an artistic and spiritual catalyst to delve into a complex set of questions about where she fits into society as a woman."
San Francisco based artist Eric Joyner will be presenting his newest body of work at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles this weekend. The show called “Sweet Dominion” marks Joyner’s fourth exhibition at the gallery and shows new subjects such as rain, transformers, cakes, anti-gravity, cats and migration. Born and raised in California, that was where Joyner discovered himself as an artist and where he was encouraged to explore his creativity, using themes that invite his viewers to visit the interplay between reality and imagination with a touch of humor.
Mikko Lagerstedt is a self-taught landscape photographer passionate about capturing the natural wonders of his home country, Finland. He first became interested in shooting these incredible vistas when driving to a relative's cabin in the countryside one summer. "After a rainy day, the sun started shining, and the fog was rising in the fields," writes the artist in his statement. "I just had to stop and watch this beautiful moment and then I realized that I want to start capturing these kinds of moments." Ever since then, Lagerstedt has spent his time capturing Finland's glittering night skies and pristine forests, using his expert editing skills to bring out the otherworldly qualities of these real-life settings. His work makes us want to book plane tickets to Finland already.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List