Thea Elder is an Australian analog film photographer and mixed-media artist, working out of London. Thea’s practice is concerned with her identity as an ecosexual, queer woman, and what that means for her relationship with the Earth, other humans, and the Erotic (Eros) in relation to her liberated body. Her practice is dictated by her sexuality and connection to her body; when embodied wholly, she is mindfully engaged with her practice. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) – HONS, obtained from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Both Thea’s artistic and personal healing practices are deeply rooted in Eros and the power of Ecosomatics. Her most recent photographic series, ‘Carnal Dynamics’, examines the nuanced stages of recognising and processing trauma/s stored within the body by capturing subjects in motion – nude. This series was a culmination of the past few years of her artistic journey and aimed to challenge oppressive societal norms around showing vulnerability. Her nude portraiture is reminiscent of natural landscapes, and awkward, unusual cropping of final images represent an understanding of physical and mental healing that is simultaneously both obvious and difficult to pinpoint.
In her time at NES Residency, Thea will be creating a new body of work, and expanding her practice into printmaking and watercolours. By blending media, and experimenting with her photographic practice in all weather conditions, Thea hopes to create a series of tonal transfer prints and watercolour paintings exploring her inherent and infinite connection to nature. She hopes this series will continue to entangle her as vibrant matter in whatever surroundings she finds herself in.
You can find more of her work at www.theaelder.com and @theaeldercreative.