"Attuned" Self Portrait Photograph By PhenomenaLewis (Lewis Derogene) made in 2020
Inner Dialogue series
12.1in x 12.67in
Limited Edition of 5
"Attuned" a self-portrait photograph by PhenomenaLewis was photographed in her bedroom in May of 2020. This photograph shows PhenomenaLewis, a dark-skinned Black woman with exaggerated dark skin in Black and white wearing a white robe that simultaneously plays as a turban against a purple cloudy sky with a hoop shape circling around her. Photographing this self-portrait was easy because I knew I wanted to carry the spirit of another self-portrait photograph, Empyrean, into this one. It was a spirit of serenity.
I kept similar color schemes to carry the essence of feeling peaceful.
I wanted to also go back to my other self-portrait photograph, Evolved, where I wrapped my blanket around myself entirely and did something similar to that with a bedsheet.
I realized much later on that my use of blankets, bedsheets, pillows, fabrics like satin and velvet is because of comfort. It puts me in the headspace of being comfortable and allows me to feel soft too.