Aleya Lehmann is an artist fascinated by what were the underlying essences in her life since childhood. With a mother who crafted clothes – both for herself and her four children – as well as party finery such as table cloths, gifts, “props”, the theatre of inspiration naturally presented itself. Through the more recent entries into her canon, which all include those early-borne inspirations of pageantry and performance, movement and gesture take center stage, rendering these apparitions accessible – unidentifiable, and thus related to in some way. As her practice exists at the fluid intersection of painting and photography, the camera fundamentally functions as a brush that captures some frictionless space in time; bringing the viewer in by sheer curiosity – stirring up a whirlwind of sweet memories, rather than an intangible dream. 

The artist utilizes a hybrid setup – a large-format Sinar 4x5 film camera paired with a medium-format Hasselblad, employing long-exposures and deliberate, choreographed movements to dissolve these forms into fields of pure color and light. The resulting images act as continuous gestures that subvert static portraiture, mirroring the energetic, forceful sweep of paint that can act across a canvas. Ultimately, this preoccupation with in-flux gesture and movement set against the backdrop of parade and pageantry, celebrates a vibrant, uninhibited “theatre of one”.