The Most Inspiring Visuals from Artist Carlota Guerrero

 

Spanish photographer, Carlota Guerrero is known for her hypnotic portraits of the nude female form. She was first discovered on Instagram by singer Solange who tasked her with shooting the iconic covers of both A Seat at the Table (2016) and When I Get Home (2019), as well as contributing to the music videos and a conceptual digital book.

The self-taught photographer is based in Barcelona where she got her start by taking photos of her friends. Her work explores the relationship between, femininity, the body, and nature. She intentionally uses film photography, as a means of retaining realism and accessibility. Her pieces have a dance-like quality, as many have been choreographed by the artist herself. Figures are often arranged in formations that celebrate the symmetry and cycles found in the natural world. Guerrero's work is meant to transport its viewer into a gold-tint, dream world where the full range of human instinct may be expressed.

 In addition to Solange, Guerrero has collaborated with several prominent female creatives including poet Rupi Kaur and actress Alia Shawkat. She has also done work for Nike, Missoni, Dior, Vogue Spain, and Fader.

Check out The Folklore's list of inspiring and innovative Carlotta Guerrero images.

Emilia Clarke For The New York Magazine

In this image, Guerrero captures a portrait of the beloved actress, Emilia Clarke. Clarke is best known for her role in the hugely popular fantasy series Game of Thrones. The photograph stays true to Guerrero's soft, natural style and gives us a raw look at an actress we would typically see in her ornate "mother of dragons" fantasy costume.

Cranes In the Sky

This list would be incomplete without mentioning the collaboration that put Guerrero on the map. For the Cranes in the Sky video, Guerrero worked with Solange as an art director. She combined her love for the feminine with Solange's focus on Black culture in order to create compelling images of Black female intimacy and solidarity.

Rupi Kaur for Vogue Portugal

Rupi Kaur is a poet from an Indian-Canadian Canadian background whose best selling poetry collections Milk and Honey (2015) and The Sun and Her Flowers (2017) deeply resonated with universal female experiences. This collaboration seems almost a match made in heaven considering their compatible artistic philosophies. Kaur's poetry seeks to find the magic in the everyday— she tends to explore themes of womanhood, love, relationships, trauma, healing, and being a woman of color. Guerrero beautifully captured the poet's surreal essence, and gave us a captivating look at a fascinating modern female creative.

Missoni 

Guerrero's collaboration with the Italian brand Missoni was all about growing up. From infant to gray haired woman, Guerrero captured each stage in a woman's life. The subdued aesthetic and nondescript setting, allowed for Missoni's signature bold color patterns to come through, as well as gave a sense of intimacy and universality.

Alia Shawkat for Nylon Magazine

Best known for her roles in comedy series Arrested Development and Search Party, Alia Shawkat got to work with Guerrero for her feature in Nylon Magazine. Guerrero captured the actresses vibrant and unconventional personality. Throughout the interview, Shawakat chronicles her experience working in Hollywood, including her frustrations with being typecasted and her up and coming projects. Guerrero let the actresses charm and natural beauty shine through, giving the perfect accompanying visuals to the interview. 

Vogue Brides

With this project, Guerrero set out to reimagine the bride and the religious iconography associated with weddings. The result is several evocative images juxtaposing classic imagery with elements of the modern woman. The image below, for example, portrays a woman standing serenely above her admirers, in the same vein as a religious madonna figure, yet the women still wear modern dress styles. The series is true to how many contemporary brides like adopting components of classic wedding traditions, but also like to add their own flair to them.

When I Get Home

To conclude the list, we've added yet another Solange collaboration (can you blame us the two make a dream team). The visuals for When I Get Home, the artist's 4th studio album, explored the artist's hometown of Houston, Texas. Accordingly, the video featured visual cues such as cowboy hats, horses, and Houston landmarks. Like her previous collaboration with Guerrero, Solange was particularly focused on Blackness and femininity with an afro-futurist twist. Figures are frequently shown in or making circular formations, a motif which likely refers to the cyclical nature in which life and the passing of traditions exist in.

 

 Written by Natalie Jarrett