“To view the work of Russian photographer Daria Amaranth, is to taste a chocolate so dark, that it brings your palate to the brink of bitter aftertaste. Engaging the senses in contradicting ways, the unconventional appeal of Amaranth’s creative flare will leave you moved. “For me photography is an incredibly magical way to create a new world,” Amaranth disclosed to INSPADES Magazine, “An imaginary reality in which the symbols, mystery and some abstraction are synchronized.” In pairing soft beauties with snails slugging across the skin, or insects resting on the eyes and lips of resigned girls, Amaranth’s portraiture allows a sense of calm to reign after the initial squeamish response dissolves. “When an animal or insect is a part of a picture alongside with a model, a photograph breathes and becomes more deep to me,” Amaranth explained. Her use of live insects and animals, such as owls and iguanas, certainly brings shock value and an air of the untamed to otherwise traditional visual narratives. The signature of Amaranth’s style is notable in her gentle use of lighting, and morose shades of grey or faded teal as the backdrop. The subjects of her portraiture tend to be adolescent girls or young women, pale with dark hair and clothing, posed in limp postures that convey a sense of insouciance or calm acceptance. “The best shots ever are always full of mysteries,” asserted Amaranth, whose visual narratives make curious the viewer; the ambiguous, expressionless subjects reveal nothing through their gaze. While they emit no signal of scorn or approval, each subject seems to absorb and observe all that is within the viewer. Residing in Saint Petersburg, Amaranth specialized in foreign languages for her studies. To discover her ambitions began only two years ago is indeed a surprise. With over a hundred photographs published by Vogue Italia’s “PhotoVogue” site, and countless shoots of profound imagery, Amaranth engages the viewer through her photography like a veteran of the art form. Drawing on the melancholic tones of filmmakers like Sophie Coppola and Lars von Trier, colours palettes from Renaissance painters, and literature with psychoanalytic themes, Amaranth achieves a fragile elegance in her work. Coaxing the grotesque and the beautiful into unconventional harmony, her visual artistry will haunt the eye and mind long after the page is turned.” (Anissa R. Stambouli, Inspades Magazine)
“The artist wraps her models in fabrics in her latest mysteriously melancholic photo series. Her traditionally simple compositions hide an untold story, with hints of longing gleaming in the models’ eyes, transfixed somewhere beyond the frame. The green light makes it seem like the photos were shot underwater, as if the models were floating in the depths of drifting sea. A false sense of calmness, an unsettling feeling of emptiness. Coming from Saint Petersburg, Daria is a young conceptual photographer whose dark, intimate work almost resembles classical paintings. Specializing in portraits, and often using insects and reptiles crawling over the models’ faces, she creates disturbing and surreal sceneries which instantly catch your eye.” (Anna Wim, “Kink Magazine”)
Exhibitions and events:
– December 10 – 26, 2016 Personal exhibition “Metamorphosis”, Meeting Point “Kazanskaya, 7”, Saint Petersburg, Russia
– October 19 – November 19, 2017 Collective exhibition “Loosen Art Collective#2”, Alembic #ak – Piazza in Piscinula, Rome
– June 5 – 30, 2018 “Underwater”, Group Exhibition, Millepiani, Rome, Italy
– June 9 – October 7, 2018, NordArt 2018, International Art Exhibition, Büdelsdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
– January 31 – March 25, 2019, The 5th Photobiennale of Contemporary Photography, The State Russian Museum / The Marble Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia
– March, 2019, “Focus on Fashion” International Fashion Photography Exhibition during Cracow Fashion Week
Daria Amaranth
For inquiries please contact: shadows.colours@gmail.com
