Zuzu Valla a Slovakian photographer has taken on fashion photography and has won. Her work is beautiful and her insight to the human condition is its signature hallmark. The UK based photographer not only boasts a portfolio with work for Vogue, Glamour, L’Officiel, InStyle etc but has challenged the status quo concerning inclusion and diversity.
Her work continually challenges us to see disability (physical, mental, or learning) disability) as normal.
From shooting models with Down Syndrome to those with physical disabilities, Zuzu has shown us that every human being matters. Her work proposes to the high fashion industry and all of society that fashion magazine covers, editorials and media should be a complete reflection of society.
Today I am honored to interview her on her work, her thoughts on inclusion and diversity and the things that inspire her.
Zuzu it is a pleasure to speak to you. I am a fan of your work. Congratulations on your recent InStyle Moldova cover starring inclusion and diversity advocate Eleonora Bernardi Zizola and muses such as Ellie Goldstein and others. The cover was billed ‘Woman Power’, could you share with us a bit about this magazine issue and what you were looking to achieve with it?
Thank you very much for having me, Marian. I was very fortunate that Eleonora Bernardi Zizola found me on Instagram, and she felt that I would be a good fit for the upcoming cover as I am a disabled models advocate, and the theme was very close to my heart. She chose the models and found the studio. The day was very busy with loads of people in a small space, but the atmosphere was amazing. I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I would like to thank to my friends and all amazing people who were involved in this project. .
You recently shared that you are part of the Vogue; Your 501 Story: The Exhibition. Tell us about this exhibition and how are you involved?
A definite big thank you goes to Alessia Glaviano, the head of global Photo Vogue, who organized this global open call parenting Photo Vogue and Levi’s in honor of celebrating 150 years of the 501 jeans to emerging visual storytellers. The Photo Vogue’s community of visual artists was invited to share what the 501® jean means to them. The submissions were then evaluated by five jurors, all experts in their own right from the international fashion and photography community. They selected 150 photographers from 6000 submission across 82 countries.
Our story was about Gala, who moved from Botswana to the UK to pursue her dream of becoming a model. She found her jeans in a charity shop and wears them like a second skin. According to Gala’s words, landing her first photoshoot with me in the UK was a confirmation that she is in the right place, where she can express her artistic self without being misunderstood. Her journey of chasing her artistic dreams continues in a new country, where she already feels connected. This was another honour for me to be a part of an another story that I could help.
I feel very grateful to be chosen among many amazing photographers. You can see the full selection of digital gallery on the Photo Vogue web site.
You have a very distinctive style of photography. It is a fragility that is synonymously beautiful. What inspires how you see and shoot people?
I really think that all people are beautiful, especially women. So many times I feel sad when I see how we compare ourselves to social media ‘standards’. When I see a woman and I see beauty, most of the time it is what is coming from inside them; the energy, the vibes. When I see a girl with freckles or big ears or something out of the ‘normal’ and I think, gosh, “this is pretty” and I wish everyone can see it too. My inspiration is to show the world what I see and change the world’s perspective, opinion and thinking.
One of the signatures of your work is your edits of the finished imagery.
You add in butterflies and flowers. Tell us about your thought processes concerning these collage additions to your photos and what inspires it?
I LOVE flowers! That is one of my biggest inspirations. We have a garden full of flowers, every month different flowers bloom, from spring to the autumn all thanks to our landlady. Looking at the flowers make me feel happy, tender, feminine. I think they are pretty, just like women; soft and tender.
I had one series called ‘’In the Bath’’ where I was shooting different women in the bath adding the milk and petals or flowers. I am planning something new with the flowers, we will see how it goes.
With reference to your collage edits, one of your projects called ‘Flowers’ was an ongoing project reflecting post Covid years. Could you tell us about this project?
I started in lockdown when we were not allowed to meet with other people, I suffered a lot as an artist as I need photography as my therapy. I started to add flower to my old images on phone. I think this helped me to survive the lockdown period.
Your work is more than just beautiful or fashionable, your photos show insight into the human condition from shooting models with vitiligo to Downs Syndrome, you continue to further the cause of inclusion and diversity with projects linked to the likes of ‘Drag Syndrome’. What fuels your work in this area?
I like to push the boundaries of the industry and magazines in terms of beauty standards, often working with models with disabilities. My dream is for magazines to be represent of society, that is for them to include everyone; the Plus size, those with disability etc and for this to be the norm without any labels.
I love Drag Syndrome; they are Down Syndrome performers with individual characters performing under the amazing Daniel Vais, social choreographer, creative and art director of Drag Syndrome, Radical Beauty, and Culture Device. We met through a mutual friend, and it was love at first sight. The Down Syndrome performers are free and happy, open and honest souls, they do what they feel at any present moment without thinking what others will think about them. I wish I was free like them. I would like to show the whole world that just because you born with one extra chromosome it doesn’t mean you cannot do art and other things. It is rather the opposite and we all should learnt from them.
How can the best in fashion media and the whole fashion industry as a whole become truly inclusive and diverse?
I think everyone should just start using all kind of models and everyday people. It will help to improve mental health, reduce the suicide numbers of young people, eating disorders and much more. We should teach our children that everybody is beautiful. Also given that magazines and the fashion industry lead the trends should they not lead in making this change?
Could you share any projects that you might be working on or in the future?
As l reach a certain age, I would really love to work with mature models. As I get older, I am finding that I am finally happy with myself, I am happier then ever. I think with age comes with wisdom, and because of this I would like to share the wisdom that the older in age have with the world by working with older models. They have something special to share and magazines should include them regularly without any labelling. We somehow have the idea that ageing is a negative thing but I believe that life is only beginning as we age.
What has been your favorite work to date?
I don’t have a specific piece of favorite work, as every single project teaches me something and brings me something new.
But if I was to choose one that was special for me, it would be the one we did for Vogue Portugal, it was a very nice experience and they give us creative freedom, I am very appreciative of this opportunity.
I am enjoying working with like-minded people who want to making art. I don’t like when people want to work with me just because they want to be published in good magazines, that is not my aim and that is not why I create, I do it to change the world, through the ones who have a strong voice.
What is inspiring your work lately?
We are in Spring right now, flowers are everywhere, it is waking up the romantic side of me, I want to shoot more women, to show their beauty.
I am also inspired by Kubrick’s movies; I love bringing darkness and weirdness into my work.
Also, every time I go to London, I see art in everything I see. I see art even in things like fast food packaging from McDonald on the ground and I want do something with it creatively.
I was planning to have a rest for couple of months or maybe a year, but I don’t even know how to take this rest as I have already planned another 6 photoshoots and projects. I think I am addicted to working ( laugh ).
Interview by: Marian Kwei @marian_kwei