Hugh Arnold: Agua Nacida, Mead Carney Fine Art

Hugh Arnold, artist and acclaimed fashion photographer, reveals a series of underwater nudes in an ethereal London photography show at Mead Carney Gallery, Dover Street.
Who is Hugh Arnold…?
Arnold is best known for his work with Australian Vogue and other international publications like Tatler and Glamour. He has created campaigns for L’Oreal, Pantene, Max Factor and Nivea; and has even photographed singer Carla Bruni for Harpers.
Mead Carney exhibition
For non-Spanish speakers out there, Agua Nacida means ‘water born’ which is apt for this exhibition of monumental floating nudes, immersed in the sea. Gliding effortlessly through the ocean, the figures of models Polina Barbasova and Nika Lauraitiss explore the sinews of human form and the life cycle of water which is closely linked to our transition from womb to adulthood. After all, isn’t it two thirds of our bodies that is made of water? Freed from gravity, the bodies of these mermaid-like creates float weightlessly across this exhibition. Taken in the seas off Fiji and Gozo, Arnold had to train as a scuba diver and swimmer to create the sense of the liberating freedom of water in his photographs.
Hugh Arnold said, ‘gravity restricts us above water, but under water it’s almost like a fairy-tale world. The colours, the light, even our breath - which we can’t physically see above water - add wonderful dimensions.’