Maria Meco’s photographs evoke a fragile nostalgia for a past unlived

Maria Meco’s work teeters on the edge of fantasy and reality, evoking a nostalgic longing for disconnected memories and a past not lived.

Curling fingers, lingering shadows and teasing faces peek out from the shadows of black and white photographs, as light weaves in and out of darkness.

Legs dangle playfully from the tree tops, whilst children jump into water in an unencumbered blur of youthfulness.

It’s here we find the subtle magic in Maria’s work.

Bañolas

There’s a persistent element of playful mystery, as the unsaid and unseen sit quietly amongst figures and places.

The photographer is barely there, perched on the edge of intimate memories of childhood and youth, a position that perhaps makes Maria’s photographs so alluring.

Untitled 4

In assuming this position, Maria delicately captures the melancholy distance humans feel when we allow ourselves to recreate memories of our youth. Even Maria’s portraits of an older generation are imbued with memory through close up angles that allow flittering lights to dance in the subject’s eyes.

These figures are joined by nostalgic places that seem lost in time, or abandoned altogether.

Pedrin Gallery, Menorca, for example, evokes the artist studios of Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, or Joan Miró, as abstract objects sit amongst the plaster and plants, the artist not visible but present in the objects that make up the space.

Pedrín Gallery, Menorca

Untitled

In another photograph, a woman can be seen in the far away hallway of a building, as again the photographer peers in from far away, teasing the viewer to recognise their own intrusion in a moment of private stillness.

Maria’s photographs of nature are equally as intimate. In one, she captures the quiet stillness of a misty pinewood forest track, whilst in another, two jellyfish hover above the camera, delicately rising to the water’s surface.

It is tempting to see nostalgia and fantasy simply as a product of using black and white film, but in Maria’s work, the central magic lies in the objects within.

The British-based Spanish photographer studied Photography at UWE Bristol, finding inspiration from old photographers, literature and film: “I love the long-lasting images that book leaves in your mind” she says.

Alone in the Death Star

“Some chaotic environments which might not be artistic at first look but are fuelled with creativity and textures. The latest piece of work I found mega inspiring was the short films titled Anything Moving by local artist Esther May Campbell at the Bridge Farm.”

Maria is also inspired by the work of the English collage artist and photographer, Bill Brandt.

Jellyfish

A Hand Kiss

Coco Deville, Bristol 2018

“I’m becoming increasingly more careful when it comes to craft my pictures, that includes setting the scene, the casting as well as the editing,” she says of how her work has progressed.

So what next for Maria? The artist recently recently held a solo exhibition at The Mount Without, and is currently collaborating with a set designer, but is aware of the importance of stillness and reflection.

“I’m learning to slow down, to pay more attention to the details in my photographs whilst at the same time trying to keep a constant flow of work.”

It seems like this artist has mastered the balance of stillness and movement. Even in Coco Deville, as Maria captures the cabaret performer in a moment of rest, the extravagant artist occupies a moment of stillness in the darkened changing room.

It is these portraits of delicate intimacy that Maria expertly plays with.

You can see more of Maria’s work on her website.

Main photo: Lord of the Flies, Maria Meco

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