ALINA GROSS

photography | germany | she/they

HOUSE OF THEODORA CHATS TO PHOTOGRAPHER ALINA GROSS

Photographer Alina Gross creates exceptional imagery using the female form, bold hues and beautiful flowers. We asked her about colour, confidence and censorship.

How would you describe your art to someone who had never seen it?

My work is about a journey through the female body. I use colors to express feelings and moods and work a lot with botanical elements as metaphors for biological processes—for example, the birth, which I recreate with growing flowers.

What sparks your ideas?

Natural processes such as sexuality, birth and the changes in the body. All things that I have experienced myself.

Can you tell us some of the pivotal moments in your life that have led you to become the artist you are today?

After having a natural birth, I couldn't keep my bottom beautiful and started taking pictures with vaginas to make them beautiful again.

I reenacted the female form and looked for her everywhere. I wanted to show that nobody should be ashamed of something so natural.

The Instagram platform was also important for my artistic growth, where I kept publishing new works and received positive and negative feedback. Unfortunately, my account was hacked and destroyed two months ago.

Vogue Portugal was important when the editor-in-chief brought my work into the print edition. It was clear that it was the right way.

I’m always fascinated by the colours an artist chooses. Colour, to me, is the music of the still world; it can drastically change the response to an image. So how do you decide what colour/s to use?

The color expresses unconscious moods; red is passionate, while blue is melancholic. I like to work with a combination of floral elements and colors, preferably body colors. They cover the body like a piece of clothing and cover my fascination with fashion photography. Like everyone else, I have days when I'm happy or sad. This is reflected in the choice of color.

Some of my favourite pieces of yours feature our favourite flower, the anthurium. What is it that attracts you to the anthurium?

Anthurium has female and male structures in its form. I love this ambivalence. She also has veins that are even more reminiscent of the human body. I love the shine of the surface and the intense coloring. A lot can be said about this flower in male and female forms.

You’ve said before that confidence is the most beautiful dress. Why is confidence so alluring and yet so elusive?

I think self-confidence affects others subconsciously, which is why it's so elusive. I see it as my responsibility to empower women to feel good in their bodies. I have a daughter who is growing up into a young woman, and I want to protect her from chasing false ideals of beauty.

Do you have any rituals you practice before you start working on a new creation?

The impulse to take photos usually comes when I see something exciting in my environment, a vase, a plant, a colour. Sometimes people and their shapes inspire me.

You have had a challenging time with censorship. How has it affected you as an artist and human?

Instagram repeatedly censored my work. I didn't let myself be influenced much. Often the images would be wrongly censored; I believe that artificial intelligence censors the images.

We're hellbent on elevating sexual expression. So what does sexual expression mean to you?

I believe that sexuality is a great driving force, serving pleasure, procreation, and evolution. I see the sexual organs not only as objects of lust but also have their functions that interest me. For example, the female nipple gives pleasure and can supply breast milk to a baby after birth.

What is pleasure to you?

I enjoy seeing things I do grow and evolve. When my artistic work, my "babies" get public interest.

What do you find most rewarding or joyful about life in the arts?

I like the process of creating a work. This can be very complex and multifaceted. It is best when a lot of strength, love and passion that goes into the work is seen and accepted.

If you could invite any five people to dinner (living or past), who would they be?

Helmut Newton, Cindy Sherman, Terry Richardson, Oliviero Toscani, Rafael Pavarotti.

Name: Alina Gross

Preferred mediums: Photography

Type of art: Staged photography

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