Manuela grew up in London where she won a scholarship to The Royal Drawing School foundation year. Due to lockdown, she had no access to a studio in her first year of university. She started working with film photography as it was a medium she could explore outside of a studio. Since she has made multiple photography series focused around a search for connection, though often through a humorous lens.
Manuela’s most recent work is a series of around thirty black and white photographs entitled ‘Looking 4 Love’. It parodies the personal ads you used to find of the classified pages of newspapers. She finds these desperately earnest in a funny, sweet way. To create the series, she painted posters and banners, writing what she was looking for in a partner and using them like a huge public dating profile. Almost all the photos are taken in and around Leeds, some are self-portraits and others photographed by friends.
“I love making performative art like this, it can feel really nerve wracking to walk around in public carrying a massive cardboard sign saying: ‘WOMAN SEEKS MAN FOR NANDO’S DATE’ but it’s also thrilling.”
Manuela has also begun writing a piece of text to accompany each photograph, which she feels has been hugely important in helping people to connect and relate to the work.
See the series on her instagram @manuelamotherofmangoes
