Today, we’d like to introduce you to Bella Cardim.
Hi Bella, I’m so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey into the art world began in college with a photography class that ignited my passion for visual storytelling.
This passion deepened while working as an assistant to fashion photographer Daniel Klajmic in my 20s, which solidified my love for photography. Combining my interests in gastronomy and photography, I pursued a career as a food photographer in Brazil, inspired by my father’s restaurant.
After 15 years in food photography, I moved to the U.S. and returned to school to earn my MFA in 2023. In 2019, right after my arrival in the U.S., I faced a profound personal trauma that transformed my artistic vision. From that experience, I shifted my focus to exploring food and self-image’s emotional and psychological aspects.
My recent solo exhibitions, including “No One is an Island” at the MIFA Gallery and my MFA solo show at The Bonnier Gallery, have been pivotal in my career, allowing me to engage in meaningful dialogues around self-perception and societal expectations.
Additionally, I was honored to be selected for the 2022 Florida Biennial with my works “Restrained” and “Dysmorphia,” marking another significant milestone in my journey.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a bumpy and exhausting road but also very rewarding.
Through my work, I was able to admit, for the first time, that I struggled with bulimia and compulsive eating for most of my life. This admission was both liberating and challenging, as it required me to confront deeply personal and painful issues. My art has also exposed intimate feelings about self-image, forcing me to deal with vulnerabilities that I had long kept hidden.
Additionally, the emotional weight of my husband’s accident and his long recovery process added significant stress and hardship. Navigating this traumatic period while trying to maintain my creative practice was incredibly difficult.
These experiences have profoundly influenced my work, pushing me to explore the emotional and psychological aspects of nourishment and self-image more deeply. Despite the challenges, these obstacles have enriched my artistic journey, allowing me to create more authentic and meaningful art.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work delves into the emotional and psychological landscapes of food, body image, and identity. I specialize in contemporary art, using various media to explore and communicate these themes.
I create deeply personal and introspective pieces that draw on my own experiences with emotional eating disorders and self-image issues. What sets my work apart is its raw honesty and willingness to tackle often-stigmatized topics. Through my art, I aim to create a dialogue around emotional eating and self-perception, inviting viewers to reflect on their own relationships with food and body image.
My recent solo exhibition, “No One is an Island,” curated by Adriana Herrera, PhD, embodies this approach. The exhibition highlights the connection between intimate life and art, revealing how personal experiences can mirror the hidden, often unspeakable aspects of our social universe.
My work exposes the dissociative dichotomy between counterfeit beauty ideals perpetuated by mass media and the reality of bodies constrained by alien parameters. Drawing on my background as a food and fashion photographer, I use photography-based and multimedia art practices to resist the dystopian impact of these hegemonic views.
Instead of explicit representations of the human body, I often use food as a metonymy, placing the weight of emotional fragility and eating disorders on it. This approach allows me to develop a deeply personal language incorporating texts and interactive installations, aiming to dismantle restrictive models and provoke an empowering and liberating gaze on the body, art, and life itself.
Can you talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy?
Talking about things I had kept hidden for so long makes me happy. Connecting with people and sharing my struggles brings me joy, as it allows me to exist fully and authentically.
Through my art, I’ve found a powerful way to open conversations about emotional eating, self-image, and personal challenges, creating genuine connections and fostering understanding. This sense of connection and authenticity is what truly makes me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bellacardim.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellacardim/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellaCardimPhotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bellacardim/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/bellacardim?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=d18d2abc-041f-4b14-a9a0-52716dfacac1
Image Credits
Bella Cardim, Brooke d’Avanzo, and Zachary Balber
