CRISTINA SCHEK

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Estelle Lovatt, FRSA, notes the departure from traditional representations in Cristina's work: “Away from the worn-out out-of-date academic portrait of the female muse, Cristina Schek’s attention-grabbing images are inspired by literature and history.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.”

About 'Alice':

“This looks like an enhanced clip from an Ultra HD movie, rich in colour field luminosity. Beyond aesthetic values, Alice runs outside the shallowness of her smooth skin, shiny hair and pretty dress. Plotting her way over the (un)familiar, (un)known, (un)real verdant emerald green wonderland Alice declares, “This is impossible.” The Mad Hatter replies “Only if you believe it is.” Such is the persuasiveness of Cristina Schek’s phantasmagorial photographs.” Estelle Lovatt, FRSA

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. 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

FOCUS ON THE FEMALE: LONDON ART FAIR EDIT