Marina Sarruf*
marina.sarruf@anba.com.br
São Paulo – After having travelled several times to Frankfurt, Germany, in order to photograph Muslim women in an Arab family, Brazilian photographer Morgana Festugato became interested in taking her work to the Arab world. With knowledge of the Fine Arts, Morgana combines photography and painting, and turns portraits into works of art. "I make pictures for people to look at themselves and find themselves prettier. I work with that aspect of beauty,” says the photographer, who has been in business for 13 years.
The work of Morgana started in the city of Caxias do Sul, in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, and now it has expanded to the states of Santa Catarina (S), Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (SE), Mato Grosso (MW), Bahia (NE), and even Europe. "I really enjoy getting to know new cultures and different peoples, this is what appeals to me the most,” says Morgana, who already has a photo shoot scheduled for August in Taipei, Taiwan, and another for September in Paris.
According to her, the photo shoots outside Santa Catarina, where Morgana lives, are scheduled by representatives, some of them in foreign countries. "They are the ones that make the contacts and scheduling for me. It would be interesting to have a representative in an Arab country, one who had influence and good contacts, in order to promote my work," says Morgana. The representative receives a commission per photo shoot.
"When I go to another country, I set up my studio right there in the hotel. I set up the lighting, I do the make up, and I make people very comfortable for them to be photographed. My work is a therapy,” Morgana claims. According to her, the majority of people that seek her work are regular women and adolescents. The result of the photos is so surprising that Morgana has already earned the reputation of a magician. "Everyone has a good angle and a sensual side to them. In the photographs, I try and capture the gaze that comes from within the soul,” she says.
In each shoot, each lasting two hours on average, several digital photos are taken. Afterwards, Morgana selects 30 images and has the customer choose 10. After one week, the customer receives the 15 x 21-centimetre photographs. The book also includes one photopainting, a photograph with oil paint directly applied onto the photographic paper.
Another technique used by Morgana is the photocanvas, a photograph which, after undergoing various digital and artistic steps, is transferred to a pure linen canvas that receives an oil paint finish. The third, most elaborate option offered by Morgana is Pin Ups, which also requires lots of painting and creativity applied onto the photos.
In order to make the Pin Ups, the women take photos in high heels and lingerie, and then Morgana works on each of them, creating clothes and details that make the photos look like drawings. "These are what I like to do the most. It is like playing Barbie," says the artist.
Arab women
According to Morgana, the experience she had with the Arab women in Germany was wonderful. "To me, the Arab woman is a reference when it comes to sensuality. Their eyes say it all," she claims. Morgana also believes that the fact that Arab women wear lots of jewellery and colourful clothes would make the photos look “gorgeous”. “They would really like my work,” she says.
According to Morgana, her work is promoted by word of mouth. In the case of the Arab women in Germany, she started out photographing one woman, who later on called her sister, and then other women in the family. The result: a picture of the whole family. "They would come in wedding gowns, they would bring their husbands along, who would also put on their wedding clothes, and then they would take the photographs,” she explains.
Contact
Morgana Festugato
Tel. (+55 48) 32268468
Site: www.morganafestugato.com
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
