AND THEN I REMEMBERED
Nature is like a woman who enjoys disguising herself, and whose different disguises, revealing now one part of her and now another, permit those who study her and assiduously to hope that one day they may know the whole of her person"
This series of portraits explores my own connection to the natural world.
Women and nature are aligned in various ways, from symbolic to material.
The concept of connecting women with nature dates back to the times of ancient classical mythology, with several goddesses being strongly connected to the earth, animals, and different stars and planets.
In this project, I look at women and different parts of the experience of being a woman through the rawness of nature. My goal is to show our beauty's raw nature, resilience, endurance, power, gentleness, and vulnerability.
The project "And then I remembered" is about bringing back memories from a long time ago, from deep inside women's DNA, from when we were free to worship the forces of nature, sexuality, and beauty. It is time to claim our powers back, to accept our sacredness and our essential role in this world for the benefit of all beings and Mother Earth.
Gala Semenova is a self-taught international award Fine Art Portrait Photographer who lives and works in San Diego, California. She was born in Tula, Russia, in 1981 and relocated to the States in 2009. . She was born in Tula, Russia, in 1981 and relocated to the States in 2009.
Her journey to discovering her own femininity revealed a deep connection to women as the subject of her artistic expression. Every expression of femininity—a woman's personal story, cultural context, every defeat, and victory—sheds light on the complexities of her own womanhood.
Semenova's photography presents women and their stories and documents their lives in a feminine, powerful, and touching way. Each photograph she takes reflects a part of her, of who she is.
During the past five years, Semenova has been awarded internationally for her magnificent work focused on Portraits and
Nude photography; the prestigious awards and recognitions included the Tokyo International Foto Awards in 2021, Silver Winner in Category People -Self Portrait; The Muse Photography Award in 2021 as a Gold Winner, in the Category of Find Art Photography - Nudes, and The prestigious Worldwide Photography Gala Awards - 16th JMCA, Honorable Mention.
In addition, Semenova's work has been exhibited worldwide in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including at the Fotonostrum Gallery. Furthermore, the 6th edition of the Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography in Barcelona, Spain, took place from December 2021 to January 2022. In July 2021, her work was exhibited at the CICA Museum. Exhibition "Concept 2021". Korea.
In 2011, she exhibited a solo art show at the 4 Elements of Culture gallery in Las Vegas, NV.