Jul 1

Cheraine Collette

Cheraine Collette is a photographer who has exhibited across the United States and in European countries such as Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Germany, France, and Austria. Recent solo exhibitions include dual features at Villa Del Art Galleries in Barcelona and Amsterdam as well as a show at Fotonustrum Gallery in Barcelona. Notable publications include exposés in National Geographic, The Telegraph, editor’s pick in Forbes magazine, features in various photographic magazines, and several inclusions in Saatchi Art collections. The International Photography Awards (IPA) ranked Cheraine as one of the best photographers in the world. To date she has won over 300 international awards in regards to her work such as category winner at The International New York Photography Awards, certificate of excellence from the 5th annual Chelsea International Photography Competition, and 1st classified category winner at the Siena International Photography Awards (SIPA).

The photographs are taken on exotic locations around the world, usually capturing wildlife, historical interiors / architecture, and landscapes. Cheraine combines her photographs into photoshop to create unusual interactions between beasts and human-made structures and machinery. She sometimes combines her photography to create dreamy landscapes and scenery such as pools of water in the desert, interiors filled with ocean water, or Baroque interiors filled with fog and smoke. These unusual two-dimensional works reinterpret the purpose of illusion in contemporary art. While many postmodern artists try to break down illusory qualities of art, Cheraine goes against the grain and tries to enhance the boundaries of what the imagination can achieve in regards to authentic photography with digital manipulation. Often aesthetically pleasing and hyper-realistic, these beast-inspired landscapes are a bridge between contemporary civilization and relationships with the natural world.

Uncharted Drive (pictured above) from the Limitless Series remains one of Cheraine’s most unusual works. While a vast majority of her photographs depict contemplative stillness, Uncharted Drive contains an adventurous nature depicting flamingos actively racing or escorting a rapidly moving classic roadster diving through shallow pools of water in rough terrain. The variations from red to pink from the crimson roadster to the almost hot pink flamingos to the magenta tinted sky and water reflections invoke a stimulating and riveting experience. A perfect half triangle composition becomes created through the formation of the flamingos with streaks of water being pushed aside at an angle. Uncharted Drive remains a fascinating study in the manipulation of motion in regards to relationships between nature and human-created machinery.

Cheraine Collette creates sophisticated illusions with original photography and collage-like digital manipulations. These dreamy works reflect a passion ripe with curiosity of bridging contemporary notions between nature and civilization. With top tier levels of craftsmanship, polished compositions, exotic subject matter, and trance-inducing illusory qualities Cheraine takes the viewer on a journey through her supposed scenario of an imagination.