The exhibition Fragmented and Whole showcasing works by visual artist Rachel Micallef Somerville is a collection of hand-printed silver gelatin prints depicting several dimensions of the human form. Lara Zammit speaks with the artist about the stories embodied in her prints.

Human connection is the premise behind Fragmented and Whole, Rachel Micallef Somerville’s photography exhibition at Kixott. The prints on display represent an artistic voyage wherein meaning is discovered through personal interrelation between artist and subject. Micallef Somerville describes this as a process of surrender, especially in the context of photographing subjects in the nude.

“Firstly, before photographing anyone nude, I put myself in front of the camera nude ­– a vulnerable state – so I can feel what it is like to surrender oneself to the lens. I approached many of the subjects in the photographs for this exhibition organically, not really knowing who they were before,” she explained.

“For me, they were striking as human beings, and I naturally felt a push to photograph these people. I got to know them through photography, and while they were vulnerable to me, I shared the same vulnerability with them.”

The process of photographing her subjects begins with a conversation. Andrea Amato, who is involved with writing and curation for the exhibition, describes this process as a way though which the artist found meaningful expression – “employing honest communication to convey a truer self”.

Amato describes the results reaped from this process of communication and disclosure as surprising for both artist and muse, “where attention to shadow and light revealed a level of unexpected intimacy, liberating what was to come in future photographs”.

“The willingness to open up to a stranger is a commitment naturally shared between human beings,” continues Amato. “The moments shared in this exhibition reflect just this – a transformation of time that progressed from vulnerability to freeing motion and dance.

“We all experience moments we are nervous to face, yet, once conquered, we feel an unprecedented growth within ourselves. These moments, as the name of the exhibition suggests, are picked up as we navigate our lives, until we finally feel closer to being whole.”

Photography is slicing out a moment of time and freezing it

Micallef Somerville speaks of the conversations had before and during the photographing process as important as these served as catalysts for movement.

“It was about photographing subjects in those moments. The thing about photography is when you press the shutter it’s a kind of god-like intervention. Who am I to say when I would press the shutter and take the photo? It just happens,” she reflects.

Many of the subjects in the series of prints forming Fragmented and Whole are heavily centred around the female form in a manner that captures a certain extensiveness of experience and dimensionality. Speaking about what she deems specifically powerful about the female human form, Micallef Somerville said that she sees this as “an exploration of womanhood”.

“At times, I see myself in my subjects, and I think the body is so fascinating. The female body carries a certain power that I can relate to. In photographing female bodies, I find this empowering… not just for myself, but I can also see this in my subjects.

“I feel it is important at times to have a woman behind the lens when taking female nudes, because I feel there’s a shared vulnerability and an unspoken understanding. It feels safe, almost a womb-like experience.”

The exhibition is a collection of hand-printed silver gelatin prints both photographed and printed by the artist. The American landscape photographer Ansel Adams wrote in his book The Print that each time the photographer enters the darkroom, it is a new experience and a new performance of the negative.

He also iterated that “photography is more than a medium for communication of reality [but] a creative art [for which] emphasis on technique is justified only so far as it will simply and clearly clarify the statement of the photographer’s concept.” 

When asked how the traditional print-making technique she employs clarifies her concept, Micallef Somerville described this as an opportunity for her to connect personally with her subjects, thus reiterating the premise of her exhibition.

“The celluloid is alive, along with the paper and chemicals. No print is the same, and a lot of experimentation, trial and error, happy accidents come with printing,” says the artist.

“I was lucky enough to have been mentored by Zvezdan Reljić, who amplified my passion and willingness to experiment and make mistakes in the darkroom. I feel that since these are hand-printed, it gave me an opportunity to personally connect with my subjects and the photographs all over again. Photography is slicing out a moment of time and freezing it.” 

Fragmented and Whole is showing at Kixott, Mosta, until July 10.