* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Born in Osaka, Japan, Reylia Slaby is a photographer now based in Nara. From two years old she modeled. Initially a graphite pencil artist, she slowly made a transition to photography. Her work includes photography, graphite pencil art and web design.
Reylia explains the work by saying, “In my photos I must have emotion, and I must have feeling. That is all I strive for. I get my inspiration from what I believe to be truths in life. If I can bring to people images they only see in their dreams, and images filled with whimsical hope, beauty, or tragedy, then that is a wonderful gift. And I hope that in that way I can be a friend. Only through imitation do we develop towards originality, so I’m not afraid to say that my work is not only a build up of my own personal life events, but other artist’s work that has inspired and touched me. And though it’s important to stay inspired and to find your place in an artistic sense, I always try to remember that that place shouldn’t be inside anyone else. But to grow beyond what people expect of you. My theory is that anything can be beautiful if you look hard enough. This is October 2013, my theory might deepen, thicken or change. But one thing stays the same. My art must do no harm, except the harsh pangs of revelation, if I should one day be granted such an honor.”
