One to Watch
Valencia-based photographer Dasha Pears uses whimsical scenarios and expertly arranged details to construct fantastical, surreal artwork. Dasha’s photos are meticulously manicured, and though simplicity is at their core, each scene nevertheless confronts us with humorous yet mind-bending dreamscapes.
Dasha’s illusory photo art has been featured in the Saatchi Art Catalog, and she’s participated in exhibitions across the globe. Discover her ‘psychorealist’ work as this month’s One to Watch.
Tell us about who you are and what you do. What’s your background?
I have loved art ever since I can remember, which led me to seek basic training in classical fine art, drawing, and sculpture before I finished high school. In my family, art was never considered a real profession, so I got three degrees in linguistics, marketing, and PR, and put my “art dreams” away. They snuck back into my life when I picked up a new photography hobby, around fifteen years ago. The new medium gave me a way to connect tangible reality with the fantasy worlds that I had been secretly cherishing in my imagination for years. I quickly realised that documenting reality was not my thing and recognised my strong lean towards staging the scenes I’m photographing.
How do you find or create your subject matter?
It’s a peculiar combination of the deep need to create that sometimes feels like an internal torture, an active search for ideas, and then letting go of controlling the process of how they find me. In the end, I can say that I don’t deliberately create my characters and their stories; I let them rise from the space between thought and intuition. When I get into a certain location, meet a certain model, or get a certain prop idea, I just know that I have to turn it into an artwork. It’s like a duty, and not always a pleasant one.
Are there particular themes or ideas you’re drawn to in your work?
I’m drawn to human emotions and psychological states; their nature, their appearance, and what causes them. Therefore, I inevitably weave them into my visual narratives. I am also deeply interested in philosophy and understanding the link between things in this world and their meanings. Asian philosophical traditions are among my favorites. This interest is evident in my work as well: in the application of negative space, for example.
How do you balance technical aspects of the medium with emotional or narrative intent?
I see the emotional intent and the technical execution as two parts of the same process. When I shape the atmosphere or narrative, I’m already thinking about color, light, composition, and texture, because they are emotional. The technical choices are not separate steps, but ways of giving the feeling a visible form.I stay close to the emotion I want to convey, but I also remain aware of how the image is built. I think I have two overarching emotions in all of my work–a sense of wonder and the longing for peace–that make my technical process more intuitive, in a way.
What part does post-processing play in your creative process?
This is where the magic takes its final form. I’m always working with the post-processing steps in mind, so the shooting always demands additional planning. This part is also very intimate; when I get one-on-one with the piece, no models or assistants are present, and I can truly listen to what it wants to become and let it live its own life. This part takes hours, sometimes days or weeks, and often becomes a real meditation.
How do you hope viewers respond to your works? What do you want them to feel?
My works are my way to find peace in this world and transform everyday life chaos into somewhat organized beauty. Many people say that when they see my work, they feel safe and at home; it’s like a breath of fresh air in the calamities of their busy daily lives. I love giving the viewers of my art this sense of comfort. Although I induce my pieces with subtle stories and meanings, I leave them largely open to interpretation. Often, my viewers see themselves, or their alter egos, in my artworks. It’s one of my biggest rewards as an artist when this happens.
How do you see your work evolving in the next few years?
I have two big projects in mind. One of them is very ambitious and will include anywhere from forty to fifty pieces. It will explore our sense of home and belonging, and how this manifests in different minds. The project is rooted in real stories and personalities, but is as surreal as any of my previous work. My wish is to expand into physical installations, allowing the viewer to experience the work with their whole body, not just the eyes. I also want to collaborate more with musicians, writers, and performers to build multi-sensory environments.
If your work had a soundtrack, what would it sound like?
Calm, meditative, a little mysterious, with bits of nature sounds like running water or wind ruffling the trees occasionally.
What’s the most memorable comment you’ve received about your work?
This is about my piece titled “Doubt:”
“I adore this piece! The wonderful thing about Dasha’s art is how it evokes imagination — offering an altered view, a different lens through which the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. In this piece, the composition suggests both disappearance and liberation, revealing a fragile boundary between suffering and freedom, dissolution and rebirth. It stands as a poetic meditation on what it means to be human, to endure, and to change. It is a delight to own such an exquisite work of art — one that translates emotion so effortlessly, without ever saying a word.”
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