Veronika Lavey was born in Hungary to a family that travelled the globe from the USA to New Zealand before she settled in the United Kingdom.
Since she can remember Veronika always felt she looked in on groups of people as an outsider, whether on a playing field, in school, at a workplace, later as a mother in her children’s school playground or in all sorts of social gatherings. She eventually had to admit that the effort to try to fit in when it just was not happening, was painful and draining.
Veronika’s steadfast friend turned out to be Art. With a degree in creative writing and literature, and years of reading and analysing, she acquired a deep love for stories and storytelling.
She found the medium of photography, which enabled her to create character and to layer each piece with meaning, continuing her creative but now visual storytelling path.
Along with study and practice came a community of people with whom she felt a sense of understanding and belonging. She says, “Discovering art in times of need can bring a kind of peace and comfort. By recognising one’s self in a character in a book, in the lines of a poem, the notes of a melody or in a created image, deep rooted feelings will latch on to the artistic experience and find solace.”
Veronika is a self-portrait artist. “I photograph myself taking on the persona of an autobiographical or a theatrical character. My aim is to inspire connections with the viewer and provide a sense of safety and belonging in hardship. It is not about capturing a moment in the traditional style of photography. It is about using images to tell stories, to convey ideas. I use the camera and post-production as tools to further explore my imagination.”
Her work has been described as: mysterious, strange, magical, dark, surreal, creepy, fairy-tale-like, truthful. She is “happy with all these descriptions and I induce aspects of this little list of adjectives into everything I create”.
Veronika’s images, accompanying poems and short stories shine light on emotional experiences most of us share. She hopes this work reaches out to encourage a sense of belonging for anyone who needs it. Stories can transport the viewer to worlds unknown yet familiar to the subconscious. “I believe we all need stories because their power can help us find a narrative we are all connected to; the very ones we are naturally wired to listen to, the ones that make us feel united in our pain, our hopes, our journey of life.”
Her composite images often involve natural elements which are intended to induce memories of roots shared, whether in childhood playing in the woods or to the deeply ingrained idea that we are part of our natural environment, in equal measure.
“To me being an artist is a never-ending journey through ideas and human experiences. It is an exciting journey, building images from scratch employing a visual language of surrealism and symbolism that needs no words to be universally understood. It’s a privilege I do not take for granted.”
Veronika lives in Herefordshire, England, with her husband and two children.
Veronika Lavey: “Emergence”
August 14 – October 16, 2021
The Photo Space Gallery
Quality Square, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1AR, UK
Information
The Photo Space Gallery
Quality Square, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1AR, UK
August 14, 2021 to October 16, 2021
