Elena Kalis's Underwater Fairy Tales
Russian-born photographer Elena Kalis, based in the Bahamas since the early 2000s, creates internationally recognized fine art underwater images. Her photographs, shot in the crystal-clear waters of the Bahamas, feature models in flowing dresses, enveloped in suggestive light play as they perform a slow, poetic dance that transforms the sea into a fairy-tale, surreal universe. Each portrait involves meticulous planning—set design, poses, costumes, and post-production—resulting in suspended bodies, luminous colors, and carefully composed scenes with a dreamlike atmosphere. Her best-known project is the series "Alice in Waterland," an aquatic reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic, starring the artist's daughter.
Key facts
- Elena Kalis is a Russian-born fine art photographer based in the Bahamas.
- She moved to the Bahamas in the early 2000s.
- Her underwater photographs are taken in the crystal-clear waters of the Bahamas.
- The images feature models in flowing dresses with poetic light play.
- Each image involves meticulous planning of set, poses, costumes, and post-production.
- Her most famous series is 'Alice in Waterland,' an underwater version of Alice in Wonderland.
- The series stars the artist's daughter as Alice.
- The article was published on Objects magazine.
Entities
Artists
- Elena Kalis
Institutions
- Objects
Locations
- Russia
- Bahamas