“I do believe that we are constantly
surrounded by miracles, but we do not
recognize them because they come to us so
gracefully and seamlessly.”
I
n the waking hours of the morning and the
prelude to sleep, a fog of ambiguity rolls
over perception, subtly skewing the outlines
of awareness. Through the vision of Russian
photographer Dasha Pears, clouded dreams
condense into droplets of pseudo-reality,
allowing the viewer to experience her art as if
through a lucid dream.
“ I’m not document ing rea l it y, I’m
documenting myself and my imagination,”
Pears tells INSPADES. Having spent the
last f ive years cultivating her conceptual
photography, this self-taught artist embeds
each image with a unique story, rather than
using a series of shots to weave the narrative. In
each shoot, Pears aims to draw the marvellous
out of the woodwork, “exploring magic and
beauty in ordinary people and simple things.”
Careful not to overcrowd the message of her
works, much of Pears’ photography maintains
a minimalist air, allowing symbolic props and
dreamlike elements to protrude with gentle
emphasis. “I do believe that we are constantly
surrounded by miracles, but we do not recognize
them because they come to us so gracefully
and seamlessly,” Pears asserts, a notion that has
made its way into her visual style.
With a sense of childlike romanticism,
themes of clouds, castles and crowns garnish
Pears’ collection. “I like fairy tales,” she
explains. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Russia,
with no castles or storybook settings in sight,
Pears fantasized about being in “a real castle”
throughout her girlhood.
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