TIFA 2021 Fine Art / Other

India - Memories of What I Had Never Seen

  • Prize
    Bronze in Fine Art/Other
  • Photographer
    Betina Samaia
  • Agency / Studio
    Betina Samaia Fineart Photo
  • Technical Info
    Digital Photography, Infrared
  • Photo Date
    2014

When I was a little girl, I used to wait for the postman at the gate. I was waiting for news from my parents, traveling around Asia. The letters used to come in silk paper, with blue-and-yellow scrollwork and with descriptions of decorated camels and elephants, passing by carrying mysterious passengers, wrapped in turbans and multicolored veils. Almost 40 years later, I went to India to get some of these images from my past. Memories of what I had never seen.

Betina Samaia (b. 1964) is a Brazilian photographer, with a degree in Psychology. Through her work, she is interested in exploring the unconscious. She has been influenced by Surrealism and Impressionist painters: subtle lines and contours, strong colors, images that go beyond what we see – combining reality and imagination. She’s the author of four photobooks and has had exhibits in the U.S., France and Brazil. She is represented by Arte 57 Gallery in São Paulo.