Focus on Portuguese artist Débora Silva! By Emilija Milu

May I introduce you to Emilija Milu and her latest shoot starring young Portuguese artist Débora Silva?! Débora is a 23-year-old visual artist from Portugal, currently living in London. Her work seeks to eschew gender norms, creating characters that are deliberately ambiguous, all the while communicating a deeply personal narrative in search of a ‘common body’ that exists outside of social constructs. The characters she depicts are brave and resilient and those qualities are manifested through bold and vibrant colours.

Emilija Milu is a Lithuanian born London based image maker. “I’m interested in all that sits between people, art and fashion. Lately, I have been particularly focused on female talent. This is definitely something I want my work to be focused on in the future, and I believe something art and fashion platforms are still lacking: Female gaze, Women by Women, etc.” says Emilija. .

Though I am a listener by nature, fate has made me a storyteller.
Instead of words, my work relies on a variety of mediums to depict my subjects and recount their tales, some real, some imagined.
I squeeze their bodies and belongings onto paper. I let them lead me, the composition shifting overtime as I apply layers of colour and materials on top of each other. If I stimulate the characters by introducing a new shape or object they will react. They tell me everything.

* Débora Silva

Photography by Emilija Milu / Instagram: @milijamilu

Art by Débora Silva / Instagram: @deb0ras