New Aesthetic: Works by Carlota Guerrero
Paloma Wool
*Originally published April 2018, updated May 11, 2021
Carlotta Guerrero is a Spanish photographer and art director with a distinguished style that can be best described as looking into a hazy dream full of graceful dance-like movement choreographed by the rawness of human nature. Unlike many other photographers in the digital age, Guerrero shoots film to receive a more realistic and natural feel to her photos. Soft, muted colors with a golden undertone set the relaxed scene in her work. Complementing colors and textures in clothing choice (when her subjects are clothed) play a part in establishing a sense of unity in her photography and films. They seem to camouflage the differences in human nature- eradicating race, gender, and appearance; bringing everyone together as one.
Structure and shape is another consistent theme in Guerrero’s work. People in her photographs generally appear together in a uniform matter and take on a form in which they collaborate to create symmetry in the photograph. The environment in which Guerrero photographs in is simple and unadorned, allowing the people in her pieces to speak for themselves.
Helmut Lang AW20 in collaboration with Helena Tejedor
One of Guerrero’s most memorable projects is the album cover she shot for Solange’s A Seat at the Table. She has collaborated with Solange on many other works including music videos and even on an art book of the same album name. Guerrero’s music videos for Solange incorporate the same elements as her personal work- nature, minimalist settings, and liberating dance and movement.
Guerrero works with women in the majority of her projects. She honors the female body throughout her work, with nudity being commonly portrayed: “The photos were trying to express the idea that we, women on the internet, are owning our bodies, using them as canvas to express things, not because men want it to but because we have things to say, and they don’t have to be related to sex,” Carlota told It’s Nice That.
(click to enlarge)
Carlota’s recently published photo book Tengo un Dragón Dentro del Corazón (There Is A Dragon In My Heart) is a collection of her iconic images, some that have made her career what it is today and a few never before seen by the public. It also features texts by past collaborators such as singer Rosalia, poet Rupi Kaur and other artists.
