meet Debora
In 2010, Debora Medici-Guetta made up her mind to make a new start, picked up a camera and began the intuitive process of reframing who she was, one image at a time.
It had been nearly a decade since the Italian-born, Los Angeles-based photographer had focused on her own creative practice. Her passion for graphic art, photojournalism, and documentary films had given way to the demands of family and the unexpected ascent of her partner’s career. A return to artmaking meant embarking, in Medici-Guetta’s words, on “a big, long, introspective journey.”
After several years refining her technique and honing her perspective, she would reveal a series of photographs aptly titled, “Out of The Shadow,” a haunting body of images that reflected Medici-Guetta’s desire to shed the trappings of the past and position herself as an artist in the world. Fitting then that she followed this initial exhibition with “Landed”, a series of collages that capture the frenetic and freeing energy of the world’s great urban centers.
Debuting in Spring 2015, “Landed” introduced a new technique Medici-Guetta utilized to manipulate photographic prints in unique ways. By cutting and hand-weaving together separate images of the same metropolitan scene, the artist crafted a heightened sense of space and movement. Reveling in both the chaos and peace of these manipulated moments, “Landed” sees Medici-Guetta assert herself as a vital witness to the madness and beauty of contemporary life.
As her vision grew, so did her understanding of how best to apply her impact. She began working with and eventually joined the board of directors for We Do It Together (WDIT), a nonprofit that produces films, documentaries, TV, and new media uniquely dedicated to the empowerment of women. Recently, for International Women’s Day, the group launched “One of Us,” a documentary for which Medici-Guetta served as honorary set photographer. The film, sponsored by Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles, follows four Italian women who are challenging gender bias and discrimination in their fields of work.
Continuing to explore and push against the boundaries of identity and status, Medici-Guetta is presently preparing her largest exhibition to date, again titled “Landed,” to be presented by Speedy Gallery in November 2021. The collection includes new works that apply her distinctive cut-and-weave techniques to large photographic prints of natural subjects, reconstructing otherwise ordinary portraits of flora into monumental abstractions of color and light.
“It’s more about feelings now than the experience,” says Medici-Guetta, referring to her ever- evolving journey, one in which capturing the moment is perhaps less important than releasing it from its cage.