Narelle Autio: The sea as a mirror of the world
In Narelle Autio’s work, photography becomes immersion — both literal and poetic. Her art, bathed in light and saltwater, explores the moment when the human figure drifts between surface and depth, between the visible and the invisible. The ocean is not a backdrop but a raw material: a space of metamorphosis, suspension, and at times, loss. In her emblematic series, fragmented bodies float in saturated blues, bursts of foam turn into abstraction, and color dazzling, vibrant, almost solar becomes an emotional language of its own.
She doesn’t observe the sea; she moves with it. Heir to the Australian documentary tradition, Narelle Autio nonetheless transcends mere coastal storytelling to construct a contemporary mythology of body and landscape. Her images waver between grace and gravity, celebration and unease. Beneath the surface of pleasure, she also captures fragility that of breath, of life, of the fleeting moment.
For her, photographing water is an act of questioning transition sliding between two worlds. By immersing the viewer’s gaze in this in-between, Narelle Autio reinvents photography as a sensory experience: fluid, organic, uncertain, yet always inhabited by the light of the real.
Represented by VU Agency – https://agencevu.com/photographe/narelle-autio
Instagram : @chillioctopus
Your first photographic trigger?
Narelle Autio : Art school. I went to university to study art, with a focus on painting. Our first year was spent studying all forms of art and I became captivated by the darkroom. I loved the immediacy of photography and the alchemy of the process.
The man or woman of image who inspired you?
N.A. : So many but a few over the years would be… Diane Arbus, Helen Levitt, Hoda Afshar, Destiny Deacon, Lee Miller, my partner Trent Parke and the painters Clarice Beckett and Jeffrey Smart.
The image you would have liked to take?
N.A. : Today it would be Girl Playing Under Green Car, New York City by Helen Levitt. Next month it might be something else. And there are always the ones that got away. I try not to care. It wasn’t meant to be.
The one that moved you the most?
N.A. : I couldn’t isolate one, in these days of social media, I see an image every day that breaks my heart.
And the one that made you angry?
N.A. : Again, so many. The world is full of images that we should never have to see. Images of children, humanity and nature brutalised. They fill me with fury and reveal how disposable we are to the wealthy, greedy and powerful.
Which photo changed the world?
N.A. : I believe documentation is incredibly important. It is a time capsule, a message and a reminder to the future. Our only problem is our ability to learn. I once imagined great photojournalism could change the world, and of course there are many exceptional photographs that were and still, considered life altering at the time they were taken… The documentation of the holocaust, civil rights movement, images from the Vietnam war, any war, the thousands and thousands of images we have now seen of dead and dying children… But perhaps this evidence only creates a pause, before a generation forgets and allows history to repeat. I hope I am wrong.
And which photo changed your world?
N.A. : A very simple photograph I took while on work experience at my local newspaper as a 20 years old, a month out of art school. I was following a staff photographer around on assignment. We were using black and white film and printing with wet chemicals in a darkroom. The picture editor fished out one of my discarded test prints from a bin of rejects on his way to the evening editorial conference. The editor chose to put it on the front page of the newspaper the next day. They offered me a cadetship and I began my professional career as a photographer.
What interests you most in an image?
N.A. : Photography can satisfy on a lot of levels, and for me it does not always have to have to be an obvious transaction. I am interested in natural beauty, in the ballet of life and the awe that we can find in the every day. I love the way light can transform the ordinary and serendipity can create a smile. In a world that is increasingly hard to witness I am compelled to find the opposite. There is much to love about humanity and this planet. I am interested in finding and revealing this.
What is the last photo you took ?
N.A. : I have been documenting the results of an ongoing devastating algal bloom affecting our local waters for over six months. It is a compulsion, stemming from the distress I am feeling over the state of our planet and a direct result of my ongoing relationship with the ocean.
A key image in your personal pantheon?
N.A. : Splash. I took it early on in my artistic career. It combines all those things I feel are important. The natural world, the ocean, colour, light, memory and joy. I was unknowingly pregnant with my first son when I made it and I remember an intense and overwhelming desire to search out optimism. On one level it is a simple memory of my personal experience but at the same time I am connected to the memories of the children pictured. As a photograph it becomes a collective memory, connecting us all through universal ideas surrounding childhood and our experience of being by the sea.
A photographic memory from your childhood?
N.A. : My father holding me as baby above his head. He was such an important and enduring force in my life. As a woman I always felt uplifted and empowered by him. I miss him so much.
According to you, what is the necessary quality to be a good photographer?
N.A. : Curiosity about life and a wish to discover more about themselves. The ability to look and find inspiration close to home and a desire to tell a unique story.
What makes a good photo?
N.A. : Photography is complex. I love beautiful light, great composition or an exceptional capture… but good photography can also be something intangible and personal. All creativity is biased towards our internal lives and experiences. But some stories and reactions are more universal than others and images that capture this will be subjectively considered ‘good’. So perhaps it is this experience of human connection that produces a great photograph.
The person you would like to photograph?
N.A. : My dad, he died three years ago. I didn’t photograph him enough.
An indispensable photo book?
N.A. : I don’t think any are indispensable. Immerse yourself, find what makes you feel. I love looking at all types of photography books, but I am equally influenced by other forms of art, writing, film and poetry. The first book I ever bought was Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph. It remains a significant moment.
The camera of your childhood?
N.A. : My first camera as a 16 year old was the Pentax K1000
The one you use today?
N.A. : I generally still shoot transparency and the cameras I have used the constantly throughout my career are the Leica M6 and the Nikonos V, both film cameras. But I have used different cameras for various projects, depending on what I am trying to achieve….35mm, Mamiya (120mm) and a Linhof (4×5) For my last body of work I used the Leica M11P and an incredible Sub13 underwater housing.
How do you choose your projects?
N.A. : I tend to photograph ideas and stories that are an extension of my life. Raising a family, running our business, looking after aging parents and assisting Trent does not leave a lot of time. So I am drawn to projects that are ‘easy’ for me and I have a personal investment. I love to swim or be near the ocean, so this has become a feature of my work, it is an extension of my life and how I am living. I often describe the ocean as my muse, as the sea continues to provide me inspiration and ideas.
How would you describe your creative process?
N.A. : Collecting. Picking up, putting down. The natural world is profoundly beautiful and I am curious how humans interact within this space. Using a painting term, I would call myself an impressionist and am interested in how light changes as it moves across the landscape. Watching people move, waiting for light, sharing the darkness, painting with colour. It’s a dance with life, looking for beauty, celebrating the ocean, finding a surprise or pulling out a small moment of serendipity. Depending on what the images reveal about myself, I like to marry candid photography with a conceptual or emotional narrative, inspired by ideas that are important to me on a human level.
An upcoming project that’s close to your heart?
N.A. : In a very casual manner I have been photographing my two boys, when they allow me.. They are young adults and this is a gift to myself for when they are fully fledged.
Your favourite drug?
N.A. : The ocean
The best way to disconnect for you?
N.A. : Walking my dog
What is your personal relationship to the image?
N.A. : I’m curious about what we miss, I like to reveal the unseen moments that pass us by.
Who would you like to be photographed by?
N.A. : Helen Levitt, I would love to watch her work.
Your latest folly?
N.A. : Trying to find time to scan my archive.
