Terra Firma
In her project
Terra Firma, Isabella Vosmikova explores the process of Hollywood
actors preparing for their roles, as they try on their costume for the very first time and
connect with the inner life of their character. Inspired by Renaissance paintings, and in
particular, the portraits of Titian in which he expresses the psychological dimension of
his subjects, she uses the severe limitation of hues to reflect the melancholy, yet
hopeful mood that mirror her own longing for the past. It also reflects her memory of the
Eastern Europe where she originally comes from.
Bio
When I hugged my grandmother at the airport, one small suitcase in hand, with some tshirts
and a few pairs of jeans, I thought it was just a holiday, a month, and then back
home. I was 16 at the time. Few years later, I came back to Prague. By then,
Communism was gone and I was an American citizen. The memory of the magical city
where I grew up never left me, neither in New York city, not later in Los Angeles.
Prague - my ancient, mysterious town with winding cobble stone streets and beautiful
bridges resonates with me to this day. It was this visual feast that I missed so much. I
searched for this perfection elsewhere and discovered it in people. The glimpse of the
soul, the hidden beauty. It’s not a cold process. It’s a love story. Each time, I almost fall
in love with what I see in the person that I photograph. No matter the sex, the age, the
notoriety, the social position or the money. My camera helps to translate this vision
from one language to another. The fact that I grew up on movie sets, and later my
studies as a filmmaker, screenwriter and actress, were all part of this process.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I catch myself crossing the Golden Gate
Bridge or a street in Hollywood on my way to work at one of the big studios. A dream
come true for a teenager that landed in America to find freedom, with a small suitcase
and a brave mother.
