Emma Ferreira

Emma Ferreira

Emma Ferreira walking down the red carpet at the BritWeek Event 2012.
Born 14 December 1975
Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Nationality British
Education Otis College of Art and Design, Santa Monica College
Known for Photography, Mixed media, painting
Movement The Reality of my Illusion (TROMI)

Emma Ferreira (born 14 December 1975) is an English contemporary artist, sculptor, photographer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She lives and works in Los Angeles and maintains a studio in Culver City, California.

Her work has been exhibited in galleries in London, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and Barcelona[1] and is characterised by an expressive application of color, as well as rich textures and movement.[2]

To date, Ferreira has participated in 40 exhibitions, has had her work sold at Christie's Auction House in Beverly Hills, exhibited during the 55th Biennale in Venice, Italy and has been featured in publications such as BlackBook, Fabrik Magazine, The Malibu Times, h Magazine, Luxe Interiors + Design, InStyle, Haute Living, In Touch Weekly and Esquire. She was also art chair of BritWeek from 2009–2010 and maintains active involvement in the event.

Apple G4 cube redesigned by Ferreira.
Enter Eden ; Apple G4 cube redesigned, part of TROMI collection

Ferreira is the founder of the brand TROMI (The Reality of my Illusion). Her most recent piece is a sculpture titled Enter Eden; it is homage to Apple Inc. and its founder, Steve Jobs.

Personal life

Born in Buckinghamshire, England, Ferreira grew up as an only child.[1] Her mother is English and her father is of half-Indian, half-Caribbean descent.[2] At a very early age Ferreira decided that she wanted to experience life outside her rural surroundings, this decision led her to later drop out of art school and succumb to her desire to travel.

In an interview with Ann Tsang, owner of publishing company, The Antithesis Collective, Ferreira states that whilst she believes education to be invaluable, she considers travelling as "the best form of education a person can have."[2] Moreover, Ferreira credits her journey as a traveller as the "force behind [the] creativity and the visions that inspire her work."[2]

Ferreira has been living in Los Angeles since 1998. She received formal training at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, Otis College of Art and Design and studied photography at Santa Monica College.[3] It was this course in photography that sparked Ferreira's interest in the medium once more.

Career and work

Through her use of mixed media such as acrylics, metallic paints, resins and mementos from her personal archives, Ferreira has successfully seized critics and collectors' attention in a relatively short amount of time.[1][2][3] In an interview with Fabrik, Ferreira notes her desire to capture energy as the impetus for her artwork and attributes her awareness of this human energy to her success.[4] Her work has been purchased by numerous corporations and has procured a substantial private and celebrity list of collectors that includes musicians, film stars and producers.[3]

Ferreira's first photographic art show in Los Angeles took place at the Terrell Moore Gallery and was edited by noted photographer Bob Richardson, father of Terry Richardson.

TROMI (The Reality of my Illusion)

TROMI is Ferreira's most recent installation, the term, which stands for "The Reality of my Illusion", has also become the artist's brand.[3] The ethos surrounding her latest work, as stated by Ferreira, is the notion that our dreams can effectively be transformed into a reality granted we take advantage of the circumstances at our disposal; these circumstances, as she delineates them, are freedom, choice and desire.

Mon cheri, piece, from TROMI collection.
Mon cheri ; photograph on glass, from the TROMI collection

In much the same vein as existentialism, TROMI, as a philosophy, addresses our personal freedom above all and highlights our responsibility to give life meaning and carry out our desires with the utmost passion.

Ferreira has translated this concept artistically through her marriage of mixed media and photography. By way of a unique method of printing photographs onto materials such as acrylic-plexi or glass and through another process of layering translucent panels, in a way that allows the subject to be suspended and viewed from both sides, Ferreira produces an aesthetic that has been described as light and possessing a dream-like quality.[3] The technical process employed in the TROMI art series is called "Layerism" and "Translayerism", both words which the artist has coined.

Layerism & Translayerism

Layerism encompasses most of Ferreira's artistic work. It refers to a technique of layering various mediums such as flat or textured sheets of paper containing words, phrases, and/or images. The materials are layered on top of one another to create an effect that marks the composite space between what Ferreira deems as precision and spontaneity. However, Layerism is not limited to any specific medium; any item that can be layered on top of each other to create a composition can create a layerism style.

Translayerism marks the synthesis of translucency and Layerism. Whilst encompassing the style and technique of Layerism, Translayerism differs subtly with the additional element of transparency. This juxtaposition allows for space and the free movement of both light and energy within it.

Layering has become a metaphor to life for Ferreira. The artist believes that just as her work is composed of numerous layers so too is our existence. Moreover, the addition of transparent and translucent elements symbolises the space between those very same layers of our life. Incidentally, Ferreira refers to herself as both a layerist and a translayerist.

Kiss of the Gypsy

Photographic image from KOTG.
Photograph from Kiss of the Gypsy

Kiss of the Gypsy, the title Ferreira has given to her current project, is a coffee table book, and a world wide art show, featuring photographic images shot in hotel rooms from around the world. The name of the book is taken from the eponymous myth that tells the story of how a single kiss from a gypsy has the power to change the recipient's perception. The extent of this transformation, however, depends upon the individual's willingness to believe in the power of the kiss.

The book's artistic elements follow the same premise as Ferreira's TROMI installation. Kiss of the Gypsy examines the artist's notion that exploration is the key to living and that freedom, desire and intention all play a vital role. The photographs in this collection are shot by Ferreira and feature the artist as subject; the images are executed through a style that she has developed herself wherein motion is added by simultaneously having the camera and the subject move physically.

Selected Collectors

Selected Corporate Collectors

Solo Exhibitions

Selected Group Exhibitions

Philanthropic Work

Ferreira's travels revealed to her the suffering endured by the citizens of the countries she visited; these experiences, in turn, have fuelled and motivated her philanthropic work and her artistic celebration of the human body.[1] She is an adherent of many causes over seas and at home and is an advocate for charities that benefit children in particular. Currently, Ferreira is on the board of Dreams Can Come True and Shakti Pictures.

Charities

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bates, Dianne (September–October 2009). "Beauty : Inside & Out". Westside Magazine.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Tsang, Ann (September 2009). "Art from the Heart". The Peninsula 6 (3): 30–34.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Youngman, Dale (2009). "The Reality of Her Illusion". Fabrik Magazine.
  4. ↑ Dean, Jason (2009). "Design/Architecture: Emma Ferreira". h Magazine: 3–4.