Lemons adhered to sunglasses. Shoes as headwear. Stacks of pears teetering across faces. This is the surreal, stylised world of Elena Paraskeva, a conceptual photographer who embraces the “unordinary and bizarre” to construct memorable scenes across beauty, fashion and fine art genres. Rich colours – teal and yellow among them – are her signature. Across the following pages, figures interact with off-kilter environments, swathed in bubble wrap or holding prickly cacti to retro telephones. Yet beneath the striking veneer lies a deeper message: Paraskeva’s images explore themes of conformity, domesticity, relationships and womanhood. She is an Aesthetica Art Prize alumni, Hasselblad Masters finalist and a LensCulture award-winner. Her photos have been shown across Barcelona, Dubai, Florence, London, New York, Paris and São Paulo, and published in The Guardian and The Times. She has also exhibited at the European Parliament in Brussels. elenaparaskeva.com | @elenaparaskevaofficial
Image Credits:
- Elena Paraskeva, A Difficult Call Part II. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Elena Paraskeva, A Balancing Act. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Elena Paraskeva, Lemon Squash. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Elena Paraskeva, The Shoe Addict. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Elena Paraskeva, Fragile. Image courtesy of the artist.
