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  • “A conversation with Amanda Charchian” words by Amanda Charchian

    JULY IS THE MONTH I WAS BORN, THE MONTH I SAVOR
    THE CELEBRATION OF BEING ALIVE. JULY HONORS THE SUN
    THE CENTER OF OUR UNIVERSE.

  • It is a month of supreme light. The light that brings the energy of natural pleasures, the hope of true love, the spontaneity of adventure, and the marriage of cliffs with the sea. It warms our hearts of chance encounters. It enlivens the body: ripening our lips, bronzing our skin, and bringing a diamond shine to our eyes. This strong, bright, and warm light of summer brings both my pictures and The Attico woman alive.


    I chose images from my archive to bring together themes of sensuality, love, the sun, and strong colors to highlight the aspects of a song by Riccardo del Turco. A song of longing and summer fantasy. A world where one arrives ready for affection, for shared passions, and ultimately of LOVE.


    Some of the work featured is from a collection of images I created for an exhibition I had at Fahey Klein Gallery, called “The Seven Types of Love.”

    This is a photographic exploration of intimacy through relationships as categorized by Canadian psychologist John Allen Lee.

  • In images of “Agape,” a selfless and spiritual love of the soul,
    we see a nipple and floating mouth emptying an ectoplasmic substance through pink water.
    Two blue eggs held by chained gloves over a woman’s pelvis describes “Pragma,”
    a practical love founded on duty and reason.
    For “Philautia,” a snake represents an ancient symbol of the self, showing the ever important notion of self-love,
    which for me is a theme that embodies The Attico woman.

  • Another series, entitled “Mono” shows black and white images of sensual women in feminine architecture.
    This work combines my background in painting with contemporary nude studies.
    Simple forms in bold primary colors are hand painted on fiber prints to highlight the female form.
    One of the models, Julia Banas, is also featured in a campaign of The Attico.

  • What is photography for you?
    Photography is the best way I have found to do my my favorite things that make my life full: Explore the world, connect with people, and celebrate/create beauty.



    Which is the thing that inspires you the most?
    Strong women inspire me endlessly. For me, a fully realized woman of her own making is the most powerful force in the world. She can do anything.



    The usage of colour is crucial in your work, why?
    I began as a painter, following and examining colors on canvas, then marble. And when I was a sculptor, I used Swarovski crystals which have many colors in them through light. Photography is primarily a tool to bend light and my love of color is expressed here too.

  • Your work is sensual and often explores femininity. Who is The Attico woman for you?
    The Attico woman is also very sensual and feminine,
    yet she loves to have fun and sees life as a celebration.
    Sensual textures of colorful feathers, leather and silk address the skin of a woman
    who arrives for the occasion of a life with chic elegance and grace.
    She is the maximalist in the room, always arriving, never striving.