Gala Semenova | And then I remembered

Gala Semenova | And then I remembered

“Nature is like a woman who enjoys disguising herself, and whose different disguises, revealing now one part of her and now another, permit those who study her and assiduously to hope that one day they may know the whole of her person”
-Denis Diderot

This series of portraits explores my own connection to the natural world.
Women and nature are aligned in various ways, from symbolic to material.
The concept of connecting women with nature dates back to ancient classical mythology, with several goddesses strongly associated with the earth, animals, and various stars and planets.
In this project, I examine women and various aspects of the experience of being a woman through the rawness of nature. My goal is to show our beauty’s raw nature, resilience, endurance, power, gentleness, and vulnerability.

The project “And then I remembered” is about bringing back memories from a long time ago, from deep inside women’s DNA, from when we were free to worship the forces of nature, sexuality, and beauty. It is time to reclaim our powers, to accept our sacredness and our essential role in this world, for the benefit of all beings and Mother Earth.

Gala Semenova

“The project “And then I remembered” is about bringing back memories from a long time ago, from deep inside women’s DNA, from when we were free to worship the forces of nature, sexuality, and beauty.”
– Gala Semenova. And then I remembered.

Semenova is a self-taught, international award-winning Fine Art Portrait Photographer who lives and works in San Diego, California. She was born in Tula, Russia, in 1981 and relocated to the States in 2009.
Her journey of discovering her own femininity revealed a deep connection to women as subjects in her artistic expression. Every expression of femininity—a woman’s personal story, cultural context, every defeat, and victory—sheds light on the complexities of her own womanhood.

Semenova’s photography presents women and their stories, documenting their lives in a feminine, powerful, and touching way. Each photograph she takes reflects a part of her, of who she is.
During the past five years, Semenova has been awarded internationally for her magnificent work focused on Portraits and Nude photography; the prestigious awards and recognitions included the Tokyo International Foto Awards in 2021, Silver Winner in Category People -Self Portrait; The Muse Photography Award in 2021 as a Gold Winner, in the Category of Find Art Photography – Nudes, and The prestigious WorldWide Photography Gala Awards – 16th JMCA, Honorable Mention.

In addition, Semenova’s work has been exhibited worldwide, including at the FotoNostrum Gallery, in numerous group and solo exhibitions. Furthermore, the 6th edition of the Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography in Barcelona, Spain, took place from December 2021 to January 2022.
In July 2021, her work was exhibited at the CICA Museum. Exhibition “Concept 2021”. Korea.
In 2011, she exhibited a solo art show at the 4 Elements of Culture gallery in Las Vegas, NV.

See the full article in Lens Magazine Edition #133