Angelika Kollin

Born in Estonia in 1976, Angelika Kollin is a photographer based in Tampa, USA, who has established herself as a leading voice in art and documentary photography. This self-taught photographer strives to capture the essence of human relationships and intimacy through the lens of her camera. Her work explores various themes, including loneliness and suffering, as well as the healing aspects of spirituality. Her eight years spent in Africa, in Ghana, Namibia and South Africa, where she explored the recurring themes of her art through the prism of diverse cultures and economic contexts, reinforced her conviction that parental relationships have a profound impact on the development of the individual. Her work has been published in many renowned media, including CNN, The Guardian, The Greif, Scientific American, Musée Magazine, PhotoVogue and F-Stop Magazine. The artist has won numerous awards, most recently the BarTur Award Founders Choice 2023 in the Faces of humanity category.

Angelika Kollin's intimate photographic work explores her relationship to femininity and her own existence as a woman. Her approach to her models presents a very interesting case of "female gaze", that feminine gaze which is constructed in opposition to the "male gaze" which characterizes much of artistic creation, created by and for a male audience. To speak of male gaze today is not only a denunciation, but also - and above all - an invitation to produce another visual culture, an artistic creation freed from monolithic conventions capable of liberating the gaze from the lens. Angelika's photographs are characterized by their honesty and directness, which she skilfully balances with an aura of intimate emotion and graceful dignity. Much of her work focuses on making visible the invisible in our societies, from the naked body of a very old woman on the verge of death to raw yet tender portraits of Cape Town domestic workers. Photograph after photograph, Angelika Kollin immerses herself in the search for the essence of her models, seeking to reveal their profound personalities, freed from masks and social conventions. With great tenderness, her photographer's eye pierces their social shells.

In Flight of a dove, Angelika Kollin explores human sexuality and sensuality for the first time, through the portraits of two young women. The photo shoot proved to be an unsettling  experience for the artist, who witnessed an instant chemistry between these two women who met for the first time. Their predisposition towards each other's vulnerability helped shape this image, which is both gentle and tender, despite the rugged terrain and stormy weather. In this ode to the painting of a bygone century, Angelika Kollin concentrated solely on transcribing the comfort or discomfort expressed with regard to intimacy when we are physically so close to a stranger. An experience that proved both beautiful and touching for the artist, who expresses her desire to deal with this subject again in a future series. The work has already been awarded the bronze medal in the "Fine Art / Nudes" category at the Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) in 2020.

 

Text written by Annelise Stern - copyright ART GIRLS