Beyond the Obvious

  • Nadya Vento

  • Beyond the Obvious

  • Born in 1997 in Russia and adopted by a Cuban family, Nadya grew up in Miami, Florida along with her older sister and biological brother. Nana, as those close to her call her, was always the creative child, and her parents encouraged her creativity from a very early age. She is currently a senior at Parsons School of Design studying photography. Her ambition is to photograph the natural world to bring awareness and promote choices that benefit the earth, rather than hurt it.

  • This body of work, shot in Miami, Florida, and New York City, represents the affinity that I felt existed between me and the ocean as I was growing up. This relationship, abandoned due to physical distance, slowly disintegrated with time. What I seek through this work is uncovering a desire of how simple life was when I was a child. My photos are nostalgic, yet present and relevant. The photos present glimpses of the crystalline surface of the ocean and its various movements, curvatures, and colors.
    The water’s dynamic quality within the frame allows for dark, unrecognizable objects and figures to emerge as metaphors—mysteries and obstacles within my work and life—representing my own struggles and growth but also the circumstances that distanced me from the ocean. The literal barriers in my photographs stand for the barriers in my life, holding me back from what I desire and even need in order to clearly see things as a whole with no disturbance. These dark and ominous forms in my images are meant to confuse and evoke unease from my audience.