Fares Micue: Dream of Me
Photos courtesy of Fares Micue. Originally published in AphroChic magazine Issue 6, Spring 2021.
There’s nothing more mysterious than a dream - and nothing more meaningful. An entire world made up of only one mind, a place where anything can happen and all that does is a reflection of that mind alone. In dreams the emotions are laid bare, though they come wearing guises picked from all the corners of our minds. Like the emotions, dreams can be bewildering, frightening, and most of all, instructive, though the lessons may be hard to grasp. To help us better navigate our own inner worlds, fine art photographer Fares Micune graciously offers us a tour of her own.
In 2009, when Fares first picked up a camera to try her hand at shooting, it was not with the intention of beginning an art career, becoming her own muse or trying to convey the varying realities of human emotion. All of that came later. By her own admission, all she was after at first were some pretty pictures. But 6 years later she realized that her hobby had become a passion and she would have to follow where it led.
Originally from Lanzarote, a Spanish-administered territory in the Canary Islands, Fares had always wanted to be a storyteller. In her own dreams, it seemed that aspiration would lead her to a career in acting. But in photography she found she had the same ability to share her stories and convey her feelings, but in a world that was hers alone to shape and where hers was the only voice being heard.
Fares’ style is minimal, but far from simple. An avowed self-portraitist, her work eschews busy backgrounds or an overabundance of elements. Instead, she works to keep the focus where it belongs, drawing from her own experiences, reflections and an endless creativity to shape an image around a single, evocative pose - often highlighted by a single bright shade. Balloons, flowers, and even paper cranes play alternating roles, typically obscuring the artists face as she lets her body do most of the work in telling the story. The color of her brown skin is often a central element in pieces like, “Believe to See” or “Memories of a Rainy Day,” where she either stands alone against a black background or provides the middle ground between colors. The effect is etherial, moving, and above all, beautiful.
Though the emotions she portrays in her work run the entire spectrum, the artist maintains a commitment to positivity both for herself and in what she hopes others will see. “I want my images to give hope,” she shares, “and teach people to appreciate themselves, to love, dream, and believe that everything is possible if we believe it is.” By becoming the conduit of her own emotions through whimsical poses and fantastic compositions, Fares Micue hopes to help us better connect with ourselves. If she succeeds, then one day changing the world we have into the one we need could feel as simple as waking up from a dream.
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