Marjolaine Vuarnesson and Shania Semeli, our readers picks #342 are both inspired by intimacy. One puts her own perception of love into images, and the others pays tribute to human beauty.
Marjolaine Vuarnesson
Initially attracted to drawing and painting, Marjolaine Vuarnesson was introduced to photography through film and Polaroid. In 2019, a training course – the Milk Masterclass – led by Ljubisa Danilovic and Sabrina Biancuzzi, unlocked a creative outlet. “I met Julien Magre, who was the sponsor of the event, and we worked on a selection of old and new images. The prints of the colour photographs were mixed with the Polaroids and something happened: an emotion emanating from the diptychs that were emerging”, she recalls. Preferring to let herself be carried away by “the hazards of chemistry”, the artist creates personal works, exploring her most intimate questions. In Apparitions, she puts her own story into series. “That of a lonely woman who still dreams of ideal love. She fights against her emotional dependence, choose to be more independent after several disappointments. She’s the little girl in us who imagines Prince Charming, the perfect relationship… But also the woman who realises that this story only exists in her dreams”, she says. A metaphorical project where reality and imagination intersect to weave a story with multiple interpretations.
© Marjolaine Vuarnesson
Shania Semeli
“I’m a twenty-year-old law student living in Brussels. I take pictures, paint, and stargaze every night”
, says Shania Semeli, alias Purple Thoughts. For the young artist, photography is a way to “overshare the things that we keep hidden”. Her colourful universe mixes portraits, landscapes, minimalism and intimacy to reveal the beauty of her surroundings. “I think everyone has their own unique charm. The world is a cruel place, and every day I come across people who struggle to acknowledge their self-worth, and that breaks me. I think my goal is to remind people – and myself – that we are all beautiful and pretty cool”, she says. Passionate about societal issues – gender equality, human rights and mental health – Shania Semeli finds inspiration in the art submerging her daily life to create tender, raw and honest productions. “Anything can attract my attention, I am influenced by everything. I admire photographers such as Théo Gosselin, Dietrich Halemeyer or Alfred Eisenstaedt, but I can also be enchanted by a cold and rainy night!”, she adds.
© Shania Semeli
Cover picture: © Shania Semeli
