Born in 1941 in Austria, Elfie Semotan began her career as a fashion model in Paris in the 1960s before transitioning to photography, a shift she was drawn to from the start. Eager to break away from the conventions of fashion and advertising imagery, she became one of the most coveted photographers of our time, whose work continues to resonate today. Her photographic practice encompasses a diverse range of genres, including landscapes, still lifes, nudes, portraits, fashion editorials, and conceptual works. Semotan’s keen eye for the unspectacular and her ability to transform the mundane into captivating artworks have become the hallmarks of her distinctive style. She is drawn to capturing the intricacies of light, shadow, and perspective, which she uses to foreground individuality, authenticity, and mood in her images. Whether photographing models, artists, or the natural world, Semotan’s work consistently challenges conventional notions of beauty and representation, embracing the aesthetics and contrariness in all forms of beauty and individuality. Over the course of her illustrious career, Semotan’s work has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide, the most recent one being at the BASTIAN gallery in Paris.
