Nia Mora Portrait Photography

Nia Mora is an American photographer, artist and chef. Now living in Australia, she focuses her commercial work towards her passions of food, wine and travel. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, her father is the jazz percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett and she is the granddaughter of artist Elizabeth Catlett and painter Franciso Mora. She states, "As an artist with a mixed cultural background, I have become interested in exploring the inner workings of the human imagination, the subconscious and dream-like states of mind. Through my photographs, I try to do this poetically with the use of surrealist motifs such as symbolism, magic, alchemy and the abstraction of time and space. Much of it can be attributed to the mysticism that exists in Mexican folklore. My art also draws from the indigenous sense of spirituality to evoke a sort of ceremonial happening in my images. Thus, the characters portrayed in my photographs can be considered apparitions of the spiritual world and the unknown. In my images, the lines of reality are obscured, and life and death become manifestations of one central idea. Color has also captivated me as an artist. It is a physical representation of the vibrancy and passion of Mexico and can be found in every aspect of its culture. Focusing upon the use of color in Mexico has given me a tool with which I use to further dramatize the visual impact of my work."