Flora Borsi
Flora Borsi (born in 1993) is a 20 year old fine art photographer based in Hungary where she manipulates her photographs to create abstract and surrealistic images such as her coffee world series. She is known for her immaculate photographic manipulations such as her ‘Time Machine’ collection her she herself appears in famous photographs. Where the sky is replaced by the swirls of the coffee and the colours are that of a brown scale. Her photography focuses on identity, relationships, emotions, and dreams. Her photo-manipulations evoke the physically impossible using geometry, colour harmony communicating ideas
Borsi’s abstract portraiture series “Iréel” – the French translation for unreal- is quite striking, featuring a semi-nude red-headed woman whose face is obscured by a veil of orange paint. The streaky paint creates an emotional disconnection as we are separated from the subject; we cannot scrutinize her face or body language which would indicate what emotions the person may be feeling. As a result the viewer assumes that the woman is either protecting herself, trapped, hiding something, or on a more sombre note tainted in some way. Using paint to create this, and the way in which she does it is original and unique.
The series was created by mixing elements of photography with painting techniques, accomplishing a pictorial photography in the process which recalls the more modern art movement of hyper-realism. The overlaying of paint and subject was not done using Photoshop: Borsi used a painted glass panel which she held or positioned before her when taking the photographs, therefore being able to place her hands over it or orientate it in a certain manner to create the illusion of depth or enhance the composition. The retouching was only minor consisting of colour or toning effects, adjusting the contrast and skin retouching. The skin retouching means the skin has a porcelain appearance – it is milky and spotless, evoking the words fragile, breakable and perfect. Furthermore, the paint establishes a streaky, thin texture as well as lines – which are either curved or sharp – and both enhance the composition and mystery of the photographs. The colours are a mix of pale and loud colours – the orange of the hair and of the glass, the pastel blue of the background and the pale beige of the skin. Therefore there is a strong contrast throughout the image which is not obvious to the naked eye.
What is striking about these is the intimacy of each one. The woman is not wearing anything to cover herself putting aside the glass panel so the viewer feels intrusive and almost shameful for the woman “covers” herself or turns away from the camera silently communicating that she does not want to be looked at, to be shamed for her body, her looks. To be the one inside the photographs would be daunting and traumatic, as you would be stripped of anything with which you could hide bar the panel (and a sheet which she uses to cover her legs). Not only that, but you would see what is beyond the panel merely as shapes. Being in that position, being there, would be extremely uncomfortable and make one uneasy. As Flora Borsi creates her photographs to capture the complex strength and fragility of humanity, the series Iréel has for a purpose to communicate a metaphor of being a female in a pressuring environment which teaches girls from a young age that they should be beautiful, flawless and thin, thus explore female representation and the relationship between one’s body and themselves. It would be interesting to know how the photographer achieved these compositions due to their simplicity. There is enough space, represented by the panel, the woman and her relation to what is surrounding her.
Her series ‘Iréel’ shocks and inspires the viewer with its contrast boldness and essentially how bare it really is: there is only a glass panel, a woman and a blue wall. The composition is stunning and whilst a handful of people would regard this collection as too daring, many would be awestruck by the emotional and physiological context behind it keeping in mind that depending on someone’s background, they would view the photograph very differently.
Borsi’s abstract portraiture series “Iréel” – the French translation for unreal- is quite striking, featuring a semi-nude red-headed woman whose face is obscured by a veil of orange paint. The streaky paint creates an emotional disconnection as we are separated from the subject; we cannot scrutinize her face or body language which would indicate what emotions the person may be feeling. As a result the viewer assumes that the woman is either protecting herself, trapped, hiding something, or on a more sombre note tainted in some way. Using paint to create this, and the way in which she does it is original and unique.
The series was created by mixing elements of photography with painting techniques, accomplishing a pictorial photography in the process which recalls the more modern art movement of hyper-realism. The overlaying of paint and subject was not done using Photoshop: Borsi used a painted glass panel which she held or positioned before her when taking the photographs, therefore being able to place her hands over it or orientate it in a certain manner to create the illusion of depth or enhance the composition. The retouching was only minor consisting of colour or toning effects, adjusting the contrast and skin retouching. The skin retouching means the skin has a porcelain appearance – it is milky and spotless, evoking the words fragile, breakable and perfect. Furthermore, the paint establishes a streaky, thin texture as well as lines – which are either curved or sharp – and both enhance the composition and mystery of the photographs. The colours are a mix of pale and loud colours – the orange of the hair and of the glass, the pastel blue of the background and the pale beige of the skin. Therefore there is a strong contrast throughout the image which is not obvious to the naked eye.
What is striking about these is the intimacy of each one. The woman is not wearing anything to cover herself putting aside the glass panel so the viewer feels intrusive and almost shameful for the woman “covers” herself or turns away from the camera silently communicating that she does not want to be looked at, to be shamed for her body, her looks. To be the one inside the photographs would be daunting and traumatic, as you would be stripped of anything with which you could hide bar the panel (and a sheet which she uses to cover her legs). Not only that, but you would see what is beyond the panel merely as shapes. Being in that position, being there, would be extremely uncomfortable and make one uneasy. As Flora Borsi creates her photographs to capture the complex strength and fragility of humanity, the series Iréel has for a purpose to communicate a metaphor of being a female in a pressuring environment which teaches girls from a young age that they should be beautiful, flawless and thin, thus explore female representation and the relationship between one’s body and themselves. It would be interesting to know how the photographer achieved these compositions due to their simplicity. There is enough space, represented by the panel, the woman and her relation to what is surrounding her.
Her series ‘Iréel’ shocks and inspires the viewer with its contrast boldness and essentially how bare it really is: there is only a glass panel, a woman and a blue wall. The composition is stunning and whilst a handful of people would regard this collection as too daring, many would be awestruck by the emotional and physiological context behind it keeping in mind that depending on someone’s background, they would view the photograph very differently.
Photoshoot
This photoshoot was extremely tricky to do. Firstly I painted on cling film using acrylic (cadmium orange) which I had to blowdry multiple times for it to set and be the way I wanted it. Afterwards, I set up my equipment: I placed my camera on a tripod and tipped it so that it was horizontal (portrait); I also put on a studio light which I positioned slightly above and directly in front of me. My sister did not want to be the 'model' so I had to take photographs of myself. Thus I had to have my mother holding the cling film in place between me and the camera, whilst I focused the camera manually... Aside from the trouble it took to take the photographs, they came out better than I expected and portray a similar concept to that of Flora Borsi's. I have not edited any yet.