CRISTINA SCHEK

b. Transylvania

Cristina Schek is the photosensitive kind. She thinks in pictures; her imagination is always in focus. Unconventional in her approach, she sees the camera as a mere tool, allowing her imagination to take centre stage. She enjoys the freedom of layering and manipulating her photographs into creative montages, trusting her instinct for matching the raw material with subconscious musings. Often whimsical and a touch romantic, her photographs are given subtle alterations in a digital process that often takes months, resulting in carefully constructed compositions, which reveal the influence of the great Surrealists and Old Masters.

Esteemed art critic Estelle Lovatt, FRSA, notes the departure from traditional representations in Cristina's work: “Away from the worn-out out-of-date academic portrait of the female muse, Cristina Schek’s attention-grabbing images are inspired by literature and history. I marvel at her unique quirky portraits of modern life, in interiors brimming with warm comfy chintz and cosy furniture. But the real clout and muscle comes from the lone woman masked, in her flowing gown, inspiring powerful messages of caution for women today. Different to a man’s representation of the female, Schek inspires us to be the victor not the victim. As a woman, though the lens of her eye, she created a new, unique, visual language influencing and motivating us to be as progressive and visionary as we are. To be assertive, bold, self-assured powerful, and confident. To develop and enlarge our value(s). To think, feminist weight solid enough, in images not just of her, but of you and me, in Schek’s sumptuous, surrealistic, delightful imaginings.”

'Diving Upwards':
"Everything real begins with the fiction of what could be. Imagination is therefore the most potent force in the Universe. Imagination is 'Diving Upwards'! And you can get better at it. It's the one skill in life that benefits from ignoring what everyone else knows.

Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don’t have to ignore the multitude of problems that arise, you just have to 'Dive Upwards' and imagine how much your ability to solve problems improves." Cristina Schek

'The Woman Who Fell To Earth' is part of an ongoing series of self-portraits about Freedom. Freedom in its different guises. The freedom to step beyond the expectation and limitations that are imposed upon by yourself and others and move towards the things that hold meaning.

There are only two kinds of freedom in the world: the freedom of young age and the freedom of mature age. We're often led to believe the notion that aging is somehow a betrayal of our idealistic younger selves. However, it might be a reversal of roles. The younger self, lacking awareness of its true potential, struggles to embody it fully. The younger self finds it difficult to inhabit its true potential because it has no idea of what that potential is. In many ways, it exists as an unformed thing, constantly evading its own grasp, and frantically trying to build its sense of itself, a coherent sense of identity. Yet, time and the ceaseless flow of life come along and shatter our carefully constructed sense of self into myriad fragments. What follows is the reconstruction of the self, the reassembled self, the self you have to put back together, no longer burdened by discovering what you are. You are free to be whatever you want to be, unimpeded by the incessant needs of others. Gradually, you grow into the form of your humanity, forging your own distinct character and evolving into a complete individual. Someone who has become a part of things, not someone separated from, or at odds with the world. You age. You age embracing the fullness of freedom, the freedom that allows all freedoms to exist." Cristina Schek

Press: 'Fern Girl' featured in Widewalls Magazine.

Schek's portfolio is celebrated on a global scale, highlighted by prestigious exhibitions and art fairs such as the London Art Fair, Art Miami, NY Art Fair, LA Art Show. Her notable achievements include Young Masters Focus On The Female Art Created During Lockdown Award 2021 for her work 'Florence Lightingale', receiving recognition at Phillips Auction House with the BFAMI Art Exhibition 2022 and winning the W4 Fourth Plinth with 'The Ceiling In The Sky' monumental 4x4m public art installation in 2023. This prestigious recognition follows in the footsteps of Sir Peter Blake, whose artwork was the inaugural work on display.

Cristina Schek is represented internationally by Cynthia Corbett Gallery.

Cristina Schek | Art Miami 2023