The self-discovery through Leafy Yeh’s shots

6 years ago

Originally from China but currently in Los Angeles, Leafy Yeh is an artist capable of instilling calm and tranquility through photography. To make this persuasion effective, she uses a delicate, soft palette and establishes a deep humanitarian approach with her models before the shots. «Art represents the philosophy of self-knowledge»: according to this vision, Leafy explores mental health and identity research.

Always true to her ideals, Leafy Yeh has created a project which sees as protagonists spiritual and surrealist spaces: the aim is to infuse serenity and hope to those suffering from depression. Having been there in the first person, the artist knows the difficulties further imposed by the chaos and speed in our society. Thus, to help convey peace of mind, Untethered Magnitude was born.

Even in Nothing in Between and in Xian Cun, we find themes of this caliber. The first is centered on the role of women and their relationship with their bodies; the second, on the other hand, is more journalistic, born from the urgency of giving voice to people who are too often confined to the margins of dignity.

In particular, we wanted to enhance two photographic series. Her, where pastel tones portray the female identity, is one of these. The models, without clothes and judgments, embody the fragility of the human being. Silence is the master of those images, so that, scrolling through them, one is careful not to make noise. With them and Leafy, we are called to contemplation too.

Despite the relationship between harmonious bodies and singular landscapes arouse a remarkable curiosity in the observer, if we had the opportunity to be on the set we would still maintain the distance indicated by the photographer. No closer, no further away. Like when observing a rare species in its own habitat, we don’t want to interrupt the spell here either.

Lost in Space, on the other hand, inspects the role of the single in a world so vast and, for this reason, still full of mysteries. By “world” we mean everything that belongs to it, therefore from what is physical, material and tangible – such as the enormous spaces that welcome these photographs – to the transcendental. We speak of dreaming, reborn, awakening, growth and discovery: a journey into evolution, change and the life cycle. A reminder that, no matter how vast the Earth may be, and therefore makes us feel tiny, it is important to trust the process of evolution, internal and external.

To quote the artist, «the real journey of discovery does not lie in the search for new landscapes, but in observing with new eyes». As a training, we offer you Leafy Yeh’s Instagram account. You can also follow her on her website.