Deana Hendry
Deana Von Lumina is a UK self-taught photographer, former model and mum of two living with an incurable brain disease. Founder of The Atelier of Muses, she is driven by a love of beauty and authenticity in people and places, guided by wabi-sabi: the art of perfect imperfection.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I'm a UK-based photographer and a mum of two. I spent years in front of the camera as a model, and now I'm behind it as a photographer and the founder of The Atelier of Muses. I'm self-taught, and this is my first year building a photography career. My journey really began with my health. I have Chiari malformation, an incurable brain condition, and surgery in Spain gave me a second chance at life. When you're handed a second chance, you stop waiting for ‘someday.’ So, I picked up the camera and went for it. That second chance is the heartbeat of everything I make.”
What inspires you?
“Broken and abandoned places that most people walk straight past. To me they're bursting with beauty, memory and stories waiting to be told. And my muses. I created The Atelier of Muses, a creative house where photographers work with real muses. A muse is so much more than a pretty face. She'll go places a model might not be comfortable going. She'll get raw, get messy, even get ugly for the shot. It's like method acting with poise. And honestly, I'm inspired by the fact that I'm here at all. It makes me want to make every frame count.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“My vision is wabi-sabi: finding beauty in the perfectly imperfect. It's my dharma and my ikigai. My message is simple: broken doesn't mean worthless. Lost Signal is deeply personal. I shot it at an abandoned satellite station in Tenerife with my muses Catarina Correia and Kimi Uriu, and it connects to the memory loss I went through as my Chiari deteriorated. A station that no longer sends or receives anything felt like the perfect image for that: a broken connection, and what's left once the signal is lost.”
How would you describe your work?
“Dramatic, emotional and full of energy. I love telling a story in a single frame. I want you to feel the rage, the joy, the determination coming off the image. I love creating drama and I love contrasts: high fashion or beauty mixed with something out of the ordinary. The muse and the place always tell that story together. Polished? Sometimes. Real? Always.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Wonderfully varied: the fine art photographer Vassilious Pitoulis, the visionary painter Alex Grey, and Sebastião Salgado, whose powerful images of tribes, elephants and real life take my breath away. I also adore Vivian Maier, whose raw, honest street photography stayed hidden for most of her life, a feeling I know well. I'm drawn to artists who make you feel something long after you've looked away.”
What is your creative process like?
“It starts with a place that speaks to me, somewhere broken, forgotten or wild. Then I bring in my muses, who are true collaborators, not just subjects. We build the story together, chase the emotion, and push until the energy in the frame is undeniable.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“To help people see value where they've been taught not to look: in imperfection, in damage, in the places and people the world has left behind. In a world of filters and polished perfection, showing real people, real emotion and real authenticity matters more than ever.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I haven't exhibited yet, and I have publications lined up for this year. I spent my whole life avoiding putting my work out there. Not anymore. It's my time to share my vision, and this is just the beginning.”
Website: atelierofmuses.com
Instagram: @deanavonlumina
