Beautiful work by miss Amélie
Mariell Amélie — Forget Me Not
Mariell Amélie, a Norwegian photographer now living in London, invited Base Magazine to the opening of her first solo exhibition titled ‘Forget Me Not’ (or ‘Forglem Meg Ei’ in Norwegian) at the Notting Hill Arts Club in London. On display was a collection of ethereal and dream-like self-portraits which Amélie had created over the past 6 years. The photographs had all been taken in Amélie’s native country of Norway, with breathtaking locations that evoked a feeling of solitude, which worked surprisingly well in the intimate, buzzing venue.
Her images sit on a boundary between fine art and fashion but are very much a private and personal endeavour. In her words, “All my images are feelings I’ve had, feelings I can’t always talk about or show in any other ways.” Beneath each photo was a poetic title, that I felt gave the images a storytelling quality which really exemplified the sense of wistfulness and longing behind them. My personal favourite piece was a beautiful photo capturing Amélie standing isolated in the middle of a choppy ocean, with the caption below – ‘Ocean breathes salty’.
I caught up with Mariell after the exhibition to find out more about her approach.
Describe your style as an artist?
Cold and lonely.What inspires you?
My hometown, an island in northern Norway called Andøya.What was your idea behind your exhibition?
It is a collection of self-portraits from my island up north in Norway.What made you start taking self-portraits?
Being from a tiny island and, on the top of that, being an only child makes you want to learn how to entertain yourself. I got interested in photography and I didn’t really have anyone but myself to put in front and behind the camera.As the theme of our issue is Acceptance and Transition, what do you think was a crucial moment in your life that has shaped you?
That’s a hard one. I think maybe when my grandmother died in 2004 and I realized how quickly your life can end. You gotta do what you can to stay happy. Don’t live your life for someone else. If you’re not happy, people around you will not be happy either.She says of the on-going project, “I guess it’s the only thing in life that I’m absolutely sure I will have forever, and as long as I have that I will never feel completely lost.”
If you are in London before June 11th I would definitely recommend heading over to the Notting Hill Arts Club to check out Mariell Amelie’s beautiful collection of work. The venue is open from 6:30pm – 9:00pm at Notting Hill Arts Club, 21 Notting Hill Gate, London, W11 3JQ.
Text: Kira Wainstein
Photos: Courtesy of Mariell Amélie
