While some feel a pull towards the mountains, the river, or a bustling city, others feel drawn to the sea... Waves In-Between is Photographer Renata’s love letter to the ocean. For her, the sea has always been more than just a body of water. Whether it’s moments of solitude gazing out to the sea, or time spent with family and friends at the beach, the ocean has always provided her with a sense of nostalgia and, at the same time, a feeling of belonging and home. She invites the viewer to absorb the spirit of adventure that can come from spending time in the ocean, highlighting the delicate balance between its fragility and power. Having grown up in the Brazilian tropics, the sea has always served as a lifelong muse in her craft - even when it’s not the direct subject of her work, its undeniable influence is layered in there somewhere reflecting the fluidity of her practice.

Throughout this project, a monochrome aesthetic was the approach taken to breaking away from conventional ideas of a perfect blue ocean. Upon closer inspection, she realized she had been drawn to a deeper meaning, where the compositions mirrored her feelings. She expanded the concept a little further by presenting a narrative on how important the sea is in our lives and its benefits for our physical and health well-being, with backed-up research that indicates that exposure to negative ions is linked to positive effects.

Waves In-Between explores our primordial relationship with the rhythms of the sea. Just like our true essence, the ocean has a completeness that is independent of any cause or condition. The waves are a play of energy that come and go, known through emotions, thoughts, perception. In this photographic work, Renata depicts the power of the ocean through its beauty, vastness, waves, mysteries, currents, and tides. Symbolizing a state in-between, where good and bad feelings are all a part of self, corresponding to the comings and goings of waves and the infinite possibilities of being. We are the ocean.

Imagery, illustrations and words by Renata Brayner

1st edition / 2024

Softcover / 60 Pages 

21 x 29.7cm