· By Tarleton Walmsley
Reine creates visually stunning photographs of herself in what feels like a surreal world, but is actually landscapes she finds while traveling the country with her partner. Mundane things like billboards or railroad tracks instantly become otherworldly. In the documentary, I learned that Reine will choose one or two colors as her primary chromatic inspiration. I love that the confines of choosing a small amount of color then transforms into such a wide array of imagery and storytelling.
In the series above, Reine's neon yellow/green wardrobe plays a starring role against saturated Yves Klein blues. A lot of Reine's work is inspired by a childhood growing up in rural France, which was filled with imagination, play, and discovery. She is also influenced by the way in which this work has inspired a sense of confidence in her physical self--something that before becoming the central figure in her work seemed to allude her. I think as a woman I can certainly relate to the confines I place upon my own body as a result of ~patriarchy~ and learning to develop better self-esteem as an adult. Anyway, be sure to check out the documentary. I'm enamored and would love to hear what your experience of watching this was.
