Dystopia, from the Ancient Greek for bad or hard, is an imagined society that is undesirable or nightmarish. UK-based artist Lexi Laine visualises this situation in an underwater world, highlighting the impact of humans on marine environments. Nude figures are found scrambling in a swirling ocean, bodies trapped by a thin film of blistering plastic. The image, which shares its name with the apocalyptic state, exemplifies the photographer’s love of contrasts: the otherworldly beauty of nature is juxtaposed with elements of darkness and destruction. Laine’s portfolio draws on baroque paintings, mythology and the contradictions of Surrealism.

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Image: Lexi Laine, Dystopia, (2022). Underwater photography. 119cm x 95cm.