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A new favorite photographer: Zena Holloway

Zena Holloway



I found a terrific photographer you should check out.  She does underwater photos, mostly of women doing all sorts of acrobatic moves.  They're a little pricey - it's all original artist limited editions. But it's free to look!  And it's mermaids!  Sometimes it's mermaids with octopeese!


The subjects are the traditional Korean Haenyeo of Jeju island, women who dive for a variety of tasty sea creatures, including abalone, conch, octopi, and sea urchins.  The tradition dates back as far as 434 A.D., but it wasn't originally for women.  There doesn't seem to be a clear reason why it evolved into a women's trade, but it led to a semi-matriarchal society.  It was common for the women to be the breadwinners and the men to stay at home tending to the children.  It did not go as far as allowing women to have political or religious power; they were still operating under the influence of Confucianism: "Women were to be obedient to the father and elder brothers when young, to the husband when married, and to the sons when widowed." Aren't you glad it's not you!


Unfortunately, I can't link to her photos directly here because they're protected.  She has this cool video, that I can link to, showing her in the process:




But it's not only the mermaid series, she has lots of good stuff!  There are 6 other underwater series, she sells them through the Saatchi Art website.  Take a look and tell us what you think.  Does it give you inspiration for your own work?



Here's her bio from the website:
Zena Holloway (born 1973 in Bahrain) is an underwater photographic artist living in London. Her work deviates from the stereotypical imagery associated with underwater photography. For Holloway the underwater landscape serves as a backdrop, using cinematic drama and painterly aesthetics, she directs her models along themes of universal human experiences: love, loss, intimacy and romance. Her recent work, Flowers for Jeju: The Last Mermaids, focuses on the historical and spiritual tradition of the Haenyeo of South Korea. The diving women hang weightless, deep in the ocean, on the threshold of becoming lost in the black water or rising to the surface to return to the real world. Through the mediums of photography, dance, costume, and narrative, this work explores the unique ancestral relationship between the Haenyeo and oceans during a period of rapid ecological, industrial and technological change. Alongside her dedication to long-term personal projects, she is a regular contributor to editorial, for publications such as The Sunday Times Magazine, Paris Match and the FT. Her work is exhibited globally and she has been the recipient of many international photographic and film awards such as AOP, APPLIED ARTS, COMM ARTS, RPS, PDN, CANNES and IPA. Zena first gained recognition as a fine art photographer in 2005 with “swansong”. Since then her unique style of photography has led to many solo and group exhibitions worldwide.




Or get the Saatchi Art Mobile App.  They have many artists; I've only begun to explore them all myself!




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