Stella Asia Consonni is a London-based photographer and director, originally from Bergamo, Italy.
Stella fell in love with photography at the age of 14, when a camera-phone became her favourite excuse to skip Ancient Greek in high school.
She moved to London in the Summer of 2009, in part on a whim of teenage recklessness, but mostly to pursue a degree in photography at University of the Arts, supporting herself with assisting jobs.
Since then Stella has shot for the likes of i-D, Dazed & Confused, Nowness, Vogue Italia and British Vogue, besides campaigns for Burberry, Prada and Armani.
Stella’s imagery bridges the gap between fashion and documentary. Within her images she aims to promote freedom from social stereotypes.
Stella’s photography carries the message that people do not have to follow certain criteria to be accepted or succeed.
Website http://stellaasiaconsonni.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stellaasiaconsonni/
Love Me
Love Me is a series by Stella Asia Consonni exploring intimacy and relationships, in a historical and political moment where hatred and selfishness seem to prevail.
Stella aimed to catch on film that unique moment where only you and your partner exist and the rest of the world is just background noise.
For Stella, the project started off as a self-heal process.
Following a painful breakup and in need of a solution to all the horrible feelings of abandonment and low self esteem, she turned to her camera and decided to shoot people in love.
Working on shots of tender intimacy was brutally painful but also reminded her that love still existed out there.
A pre-released image from the project caused quite a stir in the community.
Following an article on i-D, Stella published on her Instagram page the image of long term couple Jordan and Luca.
After receiving many violent and homophobic messages, the image was shockingly deleted by the social media platform.
This caught the attention of many artists, among which Olly from Years & Years and Jade from Little Mix, asking for an explanation.
Instagram then reinstated the image with a bland apology but the news bounced internationally with articles on BBC, CNN, The Independent, Newsweek, Vice etc.
Stella, Jordan and Luca also received death threats for ‘promoting disgusting, abnormal and perverted obscenities’ that ‘confuse children’, being ‘blinded by Satan’.
In response, Stella decided to expand the project and showed it as solo exhibition at Protein Studios, in Shoreditch, London.
The project wants to be a celebration of youth, diversity and equality.
The raw portraits are a glimpse into how skin colour and sexual orientation do not affect the way one loves.
The project is composed by 9 stills and a film, that was premiered on Nowness.
To view more of Stella Asia’s work please visit their website.