Domestika Maestros: Ouka Leele

Photographer and painter Ouka Leele uses reality to build new worlds of color and fantasy

Should the photograph be a faithful reflection of reality or of the photographer's inner world? Maybe both? These kinds of questions have been asked of the art of capturing still images since its beginnings, giving rise to an infinite number of different photographic styles, depending on the philosophy of the person pressing the shutter.

In the case of the photographer, painter, and artist Ouka Leele (Madrid, 1957), icon of Spain's cultural revolution in the 1980s and winner of the country's National Photography Prize, the answer to these questions might seem simple: Leele is known above all for her combination of photography and painting, for her black and white snapshots that she later painstakingly colors to obtain a new reality. A world apart. But she herself assures us that, if she does so, it is because those are the true colors of reality.

We visited Ouka Leele in her studio in Madrid to learn about her particular photographic philosophy, go over the milestones of a fascinating career, and hear her advice to new generations of photographers. Discover her story in the video below:

From painting to photography

From a very young age, Leele wanted to devote herself to painting. That passion, she says, probably came from her grandfather, a painter and photographer who inspired her to devote herself to art during her childhood. Ouka attended drawing and painting academies but her career would transform the day she discovered Madrid's Fotocentro, where she became fascinated by the process of photographic development.

Leele met the people in charge of the well-known magazine Nueva Lente, who were interested in reviving photography in Spain and intrigued by the talent of a young woman who was already developing a special way of looking at things. This is how the photographer began with a style that would make her very popular in the following years.

The eighties and the explosion of color

After moving to Barcelona, Leele began to find photographic work in magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse. It was in this period she took her emblematic series Hairdresser, in which he combined objects and food with portraits, that would establish her name in the cultural circles of the time.

Thus, Leele settled down as a photographer and artist. Not in Madrid, as many people believe, but in Barcelona. The eighties brought an explosion of freedom and color in which the artist and her brilliant imagination would play a vital role.

Farming photographer

For Leele, there are two types of photographers: hunters and farmers. She considers herself a farmer, since her universe is not based on the instantaneous, on the automatic image, but on carefully and meticulously constructing the piece as if it were a canvas. Using props, models, iconic settings like the Cybele fountain, and spending weeks, months, or even years painting her photographs, Leele makes sure that the image represents exactly what she imagines.

The importance of the heart

"The best way to learn something is when you have to," Leele says. For her, although there is information in books, the best thing is to be able to learn from those who have a mastery, day by day, getting to know the practical and theoretical aspects of the job.

The artist also affirms that one must believe in what one is doing, speaking from her heart, she says: "this is how your work will reach the hearts of others.

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