"Colors of My Body"
->Lea Colombo

Lea Colombo’s independently produced inaugural solo show will open at SPACEBY in Cape Town and Terminal 27 Los Angeles on the 22nd of September 2021. Colours of My Body is an exploration of Colombo’s relationship with her higher self. Through use of colour, light and energy Colombo explores a visual journey toward individuation. The exhibition is an evolution of Colombo’s practice from photography into painting, print, mixed media, and sculpture. The monumental body of work includes more than 44 original dark room prints, digital images, bronze and stone sculptures, lighting, furniture, and installation art. Colours of My Body is a personal survey of the artists connection to consciousness. Through the collection Colombo holds a mirror to presence.

Lea Colombo is not one to play by the institutionalised rule book, and keeping with her self- determining spirit, Colombo - alongside her team - is independently presenting the Cape Town show. This vibrant body of work is born from the shadows. Intimate self-portraits reflect the artists revelation of concealed potential. These images are stripped back and overlayed with sketch, paint, and wax. A dream like video installation explores the nexus between self and higher states – such abstracted representations of energy and connection are explored further through vibrant and unconventional colour combinations. Bright colour, figures, sketch, and botanical imagery come together in her series of dark room prints. These images appear as an extension of the artists mind, at once quick and considered, free, and restrained - the use of colour communicating on a visceral level.

For the first time Colombo has expanded her practice into sculpture. Drawing on the energetic symbolisms of ancient African and Indian stones she explores the balance of masculine and feminine, yin and yang. Colombo abstracts and transforms traditional spiritual iconography, adapting it to her intuitive understanding of colour. This unrestrained approach threads through all her work, from print, to painting and sculpture. Each piece is a small window into the creative workings of Lea Colombo’s mind.

The journey through her show is deeply intimate, but at the same time familiar. The large full- body, dark room portraits represent the multi-dimensional character of both artist and exhibition. Shown in various hues, the vibrant colours shift and awaken different conversations within. And yet it is the quiet moment, where a body floats above a piece of red jasper, that Colombo’s individuation as artist and individual is clear. She is both autonomous and powerful, feminine, and strong. Colours of My Body is a timely invitation to look in.

Exclusive Interview With The Artist

Lea Colombo is a self-taught creative who has a bold and saturated style. She examines the values and connections between colour, light and emotion. Colombo’s art reflects her personality, she is unafraid to push boundaries and position herself amongst the leaders of the fashion world and more recently moving into art. Lea Colombo was born in 1993 in Cape Town, South Africa. Now based in London, her commercial work as a photographer and director has cemented her place amongst the most influential global fashion names. Her photographic style is recognisable for its use of natural light and bold colour, lending her images a quality that is at once spontaneous and intuitive, unguarded, and intimate. Her work has been featured across a variety of different publications, from Dazed & Confused, i-D, Self Service, M Le Monde, and Numero Art, among others, whilst some of her commercial clients include Versace, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Fendi and Marni.