UNSEEN
21—24 Sept. ’23
LEA COLOMBO
AMSTERDAM, NL
Lea Colombo (1993 - ) is a multidisciplinary artist from Cape Town, South Africa. With a prominent presence in the global fashion industry as a photographer and director, she has established herself as one of the most influential figures in the field. Her reputation as a fine artist continues to grow and has garnered significant recognition around the world. Renowned for her audacious and vibrant style, Colombo explores the intricate interplay of colour, light and emotion, delving into the values and connections that they embody.
Colour grounds Lea’s work, and forms the basis of all of her explorations. She infuses her images with light and colour to find new ways of seeing and evoke new ways of looking. The body is more than just the body when she depicts hers, manipulating the way light hits the natural lines of her form, pulling colour out in unexpected places and emphasising the geometric shapes that have always been present in her mind like the pyramids of light that we see in a number of her works. Colombo’s work challenges the rules of photography as she creates an energetic visual language that is dynamic and stimulating.
Colombo’s practice is bold, not just in colour but in creative process. Her focus on spontaneity inspires a practice of leaning into all that exists in our subconscious minds. She works in a way that liberates these thoughts and allows herself to go on a deeper quest to understand her identity and everything that aligns with with her true self. In doing so, she inspires her viewers to go on a “journey with yourself, a deeper quest of what we’re all capable of.” Colombo believes that there is mystery everywhere, if we choose to find it.
Colombo’s work is committed to a practice of non-judgement as she creates in a state of allowance and internal connection. There is a quality to her work that wants to make a statement about our uniqueness as individuals, to inspire people not to be afraid of expressing what is inside of them. Colombo finds fluidity in our connection to the earth. She is inspired by the vastness of landscapes and the way the mind stills when she is out in nature. This has influenced her sculptural work made of red jasper and sodalite, stones that are known for their healing properties and are found in certain regions of Southern Africa and Namibia.
In all of the pieces Colombo produces, she seeks to create an experience of light, balance, harmony and joy. An experience that urges her viewers to connect with the information that they find most important, that allows them to harness their imaginations, celebrate their identities and simply feel happiness. Her ethos is one of always seeking new perspectives and exploring all of the layers of ourselves and the world by adding new dimensions to our understanding