Breathe
Blush I - Digital photograph, 2021, 12” x 8” (edition of 25), 24" x 16" (edition of 15), 48” x 32” (edition of 10)
The exhibition BREATHE brings together two series of photographs created during two phases of the pandemic: lockdown (BLOOM), and the opening of the borders (EXHALE). Strongly influenced by the reduction of living spaces and the isolation of the early days of the pandemic, the images in the Bloom series encourage us to turn inward and look for beauty in the simplicity of everyday life. The Exhale series, marked by the relaxation of containment measures and the search for open spaces, invites us to see beauty outwards. Two contrasting perspectives of the pandemic that remind us that in these uncertain times, we must constantly adapt and focus. Breathe in. Breathe out. Just breathe.
EXHALE: to breathe out. We held our breath for much of the pandemic and as we believed we were coming out of something extraordinary, we started to exhale. We started to see the world open up and the skies open. We ventured. We hoped. We pushed forward. Exhale is a series that came about on a voyage to Greece after pandemic restrictions were lifted. Much time spent outdoors on ferries, navigating seas, visiting vistas and exhaling.
BLOOM: This pandemic turned worlds upside down. As isolation, boundaries and adjustments are made inevitable, entities begin to reflect, introvert and explore modest joys while languishing and blossoming simultaneously. At the beginning of pandemic, Eva Blue completed a series of looking outwards and skywards, now after more than a year into pandemic, her latest series "BLOOM" looks humbly groundingly inwards. There's nothing ordinary about flowers yet we present them in bouquets preened with extra foliage and wrapping as if each floral gem necessitates supplemental primping. With each bouquet, an embellished scenario is set and seen as an ensemble. "BLOOM" explores the being of a singular unadorned peony flower as an entity, of its beauty, simplicity, complexity, intricacy, endurance and unfolding.
Bloom II - Digital photograph, 2021, 12" x 12”, 48” x 48” (edition of 10)
Bloom IV - Digital photograph, 2021, 12" x 12”, 48” x 48” (edition of 10)
Unbottle I - Digital photograph, 2021, 32" x 48" (edition of 10)
Murmur - Digital photograph, 2022, 48” x 32” (edition of 10)
Bloom III - Digital photograph, 2021, 12" x 12”, 48” x 48” (edition of 10)
Blush IV - Digital photograph, 2021, 12” x 8” (edition of 25), 24” x 16” (edition of 15), 48" x 32" (edition of 10)
Unbottle II - Digital photograph, 2021, 32" x 48" (edition of 10)
ABOUT EVA BLUE
Eva Blue is a professional photographer by trade and a child at heart. She graduated in fine arts from Concordia University, specializing in studio arts. She fell into photography in later years and never looked back. As a predominantly self-taught photographer, she’s been documenting what she sees ever since, seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary, finding beauty in the unexpected, and truth through the lens. This is also reflected in her mixed-media art.
She works in a wide variety of styles covering people, festivals, entertainment, events, and corporate jobs. Her lens has witnessed Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau, Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Metallica, Spike Lee, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, and the list goes on. Her photography has been published in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Vice, The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, NPR, Mother Jones, Out Magazine, the Montreal Gazette, La Presse, Le Devoir and more. She is currently freelancing for Tourisme Montreal.
