The work of photographer Rachel Baran can be read as a journal. Captured moments of a mind introduced to the adult world with its doubts and angst, struggling with the wish to continue with childhood games and a body, friend and foe by turns.
Rachel is still young. Twenty, the age of possibles. This student from Ohio had decided to use the tools of digital photography to push the limits of intimate shots by turning them into surreal poetry in images. Thanks to Photoshop and other professional tricks, the world of this young woman can swing from nightmares to dream, unsettling and fascinating the viewer.
With a witty dark sense of humor, she gives romanticism ingredients of gore, with references such as Desperate Housewives and Black Swan. Her female portraits genuinely illustrate the different aspect of femininity, displaying inner wounds and hidden feelings, freedom and loneliness. Weathering the elements, those tiny silhouettes are looking for their place in the world, a way to show their strength. Rachel’s strength is definitely her creativity, insuring her a place in adulthood, without losing her ability to dream.
