Alana Celii interprets the strange, yet beautiful, surroundings of what is close, but also of what is unfamiliar.  Her photographs explore place in a curious way, one that teeters on the fleeting moment and also highlights the illuminated experience.  Her body of work, Odd Sympathy, captures these separate experiences, quirky and colorful as they are, as quips building into one abstract narrative.  Though this narrative is indeed unusual, it likewise relatable to the everyday stories that pan out in our own lives.

Alana Celii was born outside of Chicago in 1986. She holds a BFA in photography from Parsons the New School for Design and is currently a photo editor at The New York Times. Her work has been shown in group shows in the U.S. and abroad.

Odd Sympathy

The notion of home exists within the realm of the comfortable and familiar. It is often relating to feelings of domesticity and cannot only represent a physical space, but also a time. The homely describes the sensation of when one feels at home, but also can be defined as ugliness. Often, the true home is repressed and hidden through the guise of comfort or idealized perfection. However, when hidden details about the home are revealed, one experiences a sense of the uncanny. As a consequence of photographing, what was to remain secret about this environment has now been unearthed. Through the exploration of my own personal moments, details that usually go unnoticed are uncovered.  This minutia conveys the beauty in the forgotten and the ignored. It is the instance where everything feels foreign and familiar at the same time; thus resulting in the sensation of the uncomfortably strange. The eeriness and naiveté in the hope of the home is the underlying narrative within the imagery.