Cristina Schek is the photosensitive kind. She thinks in pictures; her imagination is always in focus. Unconventional in her approach, she sees the camera as a mere tool, allowing her imagination to take centre stage. She enjoys the freedom of layering and manipulating her photographs into creative montages, trusting her instinct for matching the raw material with subconscious musings. Often whimsical and a touch romantic, her photographs are given subtle alterations in a digital process that often takes months, resulting in carefully constructed compositions, which reveal the influence of the great Surrealists and Old Masters.
Esteemed art critic Estelle Lovatt, FRSA, notes the departure from traditional representations in Cristina's work: “Away from the worn-out out-of-date academic portrait of the female muse, Cristina Schek’s attention-grabbing images are inspired by literature and history. I marvel at her unique quirky portraits of modern life, in interiors brimming with warm comfy chintz and cosy furniture. But the real clout and muscle comes from the lone woman masked, in her flowing gown, inspiring powerful messages of caution for women today. Different to a man’s representation of the female, Schek inspires us to be the victor not the victim. As a woman, though the lens of her eye, she created a new, unique, visual language influencing and motivating us to be as progressive and visionary as we are. To be assertive, bold, self-assured powerful, and confident. To develop and enlarge our value(s). To think, feminist weight solid enough, in images not just of her, but of you and me, in Schek’s sumptuous, surrealistic, delightful imaginings.”
'Diving Upwards': "Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don’t have to ignore the multitude of problems that arise, you just have to 'Swim Upwards' and imagine how much your ability to solve problems improves." Cristina Schek
"The Woman Who Fell To Earth' is part of an ongoing series of self-portraits about Freedom. Freedom in its different guises. The freedom to step beyond the expectation and limitations that are imposed upon by yourself and others and move towards the things that hold meaning. There are only two kinds of freedom in the world: the freedom of young age and the freedom of mature age. We're often led to believe that aging is somehow a betrayal of our idealistic younger self. But sometimes it may be the other way around. Perhaps the younger self finds it difficult to inhabit its true potential because it has no idea of what that potential is. In many ways, it exists as an unformed thing, constantly evading its own grasp, and frantically trying to build its sense of itself, a coherent sense of identity.
But then, time and the relentless flow of life come along and shatter our carefully constructed sense of self into a million pieces. And then comes the reassembled self, the self you have to put back together - no longer burdened by discovering what you are. You are free to be whatever you want to be, unimpeded by the incessant needs of others. Gradually, you grow into the form of your humanity, forging our own distinct character and evolving into a complete individual. Someone who has become a part of things, not someone separated from, or at odds with the world. You age. You age, embracing the fullness of freedom, the freedom that allows all freedoms to exist." Cristina Schek
Press: 'Fern Girl' featured in Widewalls Magazine. | Cristina Schek Winner of W4 Fourth Plinth Unveiled by Dame Siân Phillips
Cristina Schek was awarded the Young Masters Focus On The Female Art Created During Lockdown Award 2021 for her work 'Florence Lightingale'.