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InspirationPhotography

Gillian Hyland's supernatural, evocative images that encapsulate drama and emotion

Photographer Gillian Hyland creates supernatural staged images, presented as film stills or dramatic moments that are full of sex and desire, sadness and nostalgia. Narratives that are psychologically evocative – at once sublimely theatrical yet poignant.

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Two women sit facing each other on a glowing floor scattered with luminescent flowers in a dark, moody interior space

Like Richard Avedon and Guy Bourdin, the mix of fashion and art has challenged us to accept stylised new ideas of femininity and masculinity, innocence and sensuality. Gillian describes herself as an image maker and story teller. Her dramatic photographs are based on her own poems, and depict characters in human dramas and isolated emotional situations. Frozen in time, solitary and vulnerable moments are presented in glorious technicolor and timeless sets.

Gillian's visual career began as a stylist and set designer. Highly successful, the move to photography was a natural progression in wanting to create her own imagery. Acclaimed for her use of colour and settings she has used the same title for this body of work since its inception in 2014. Words In Sight is an ongoing project, a story broken into chapters. Soon to be available to view in a new exhibition at D Contemporary in Mayfair in February.

Gillian said: "I want the viewer to look at my image and see themselves. The use of sets and costumes is part of creating a story that we can all identify with, a past we can just recall parts of."

Words in Sight will take place between 28 February – 11 March 2017 at D Contemporary, 23 Grafton St, Mayfair, London W1S 4EY. Discover more at dcontemporary.com.

Via Creative Boom submission | All images courtesy of D Contemporary and Gillian Hyland

Young woman in white dress with pink bow sitting on decorative tile floor in deteriorating room with ornate wrought-iron railing and peeling green walls
Woman in pale vest lying on a bed with white lace cover, resting her head on her hand in a bedroom with blue-grey walls and vintage furnishings
Two women sit on steps of an ornate doorway surrounded by lush potted plants in a tropical courtyard setting
Woman in a red dress sits at a table in a green-walled room with dark wooden doors and vintage furnishings, whilst a man stands by the window behind her
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