The Splice of Life

Incredible Series of Portraits Combines Faces with Landscapes

Double exposure photographs are nothing new. But Antonia Mora takes them to new levels with his masterful juxtapositions which meld together traditional elements of both portraits and landscapes. Antonio describes his work as “surreal portraits where reality merges with dreams to create hypnotic, gazing beings.”

Antonio is more of a weaver of disparate images than a traditional photographer. He takes images from different sources, sometimes using models in the traditional sense, others by traipsing the web and magazines, but always the result is the same: the stitching together of two fragments to create one unified world.

For Antonio, ideas can come from almost anywhere, and that’s really reflected in the diversity of his work. “My inspiration comes from the observation of nature, clouds, the sea, but also of urban landscapes and even abstract art.” This latest group of works does have a distinctive aesthetic and unifying coherency, but his past work has been very different.

He recently featured at the Uzbekistan biennial and also had his work unveiled at the Eiffel Tower, both of which are particularly proud achievements for him: “these were very special moments for me”.

Antonio shared a few more thoughts with us:

The Plus: How would you describe your work?
Antonia Mora: My job is technically digital collage using Photoshop as a single program.

TP: How did you first start making these hybrid portraits? Where did the inspiration come from?
AM: I started with my portraits after seeing the work of Matt Wizniewski and Aneta Ivanova, They showed me the way to go. From there I think I’ve developed a very personal and recognizable style.

TP: What’s the most unusual combination you have made?
AM: I have done many unusual combinations; maybe my weirdest composition is the amalgamation between a woman’s face and a head of garlic.

TP: Where’s the most interesting place you’ve been commissioned to do a mural?
AM: I am now developing several murals for an upscale restaurant in Dubai, called All Day Dining. But I’ve done murals for Sydney, Cape Town and other marvellous cities worldwide.

TP: Are you working on anything else?
AM: I am preparing a small collection of works on wood for an exhibition in August in Ibiza and developing three large murals for a restaurant in Brasow, Romania.