Fine Art nominee

"Language of Light" stems from the need to investigate light as its own language, stripped of complex subjects. I chose to work with minimal materials—paper, color, and folds—to understand how light inhabits geometry and how color alters our perception of time.

The series follows an emotional progression: from the hesitation of The First Fold of the Day to the vibrant intensity of The Red Pulse of Time. In the final stages, with works like Symphony in Blue Minor, I sought to capture silence and tactile matter. I created this project to challenge my ability to construct a narrative from the ordinary, allowing the material to guide the image rather than forcing an external representation.

This process served as a way to learn to see anew. It forced me to decelerate the photographic act and to realize that light does not merely illuminate objects; it is the subject itself. The resulting work is an invitation to slow observation—a reflection on how mindful attention can transform a mundane material into a poetic voice, making visual silence as eloquent as color.

Maria Clemencia Arbelaez is an architect and artistic photographer based in Medellín, Colombia. Her work explores the poetic, emotional, and visual dimensions of form, light, and perception, transforming everyday scenes, objects, and elements of nature into intimate, evocative, and thought-provoking images.

She has participated in more than six collective exhibitions, including a virtual group show in Paris, and has presented solo exhibitions in Medellín and, upcoming in June, in Seville, Spain. Her work has been recognized with Third Prize at a photography festival in Antioquia and multiple awards in competitions organized by the Medellín Photographic Club, Colombia’s oldest photography institution, where she is an active member.

Maria Clemencia was also pre-selected for the HIPA (Hamdan International Photography Award), having been invited to submit her RAW files for further evaluation. Her photographs are featured in the commemorative book celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Medellín Photographic Club.

Through her artistic practice, including her series Naturaleza Íntima, she creates visual narratives that invite contemplation, imagination, and emotional engagement. Her work examines both subtle everyday details and larger emotional landscapes, seeking to connect viewers to the sensory and reflective experiences that photography can evoke, leaving a lasting impression through the interplay of light,