Phantasmal Gallery
Phantasmal Gallery
Rianna Richardson
'Girls, Gore and The Grotesque'
2025
This photo was the final piece for my degree show exhibition and displays the monstrous woman as diety, bestowing her monstrosity- and freedom- on others, in a beautiful and bloody transformation.
'Female Rage'
This photo was from a series exploring contrasts and the concept of feminine rage, with the idea of this monstrous anger constantly on the edges of a woman's life depicted here by a red, clawed hand reaching out.​
A Little Bit About The Artist
A Statement From The Artist
My name is Rianna, I'm a Manchester based photographer and self-proclaimed 'Maker of weird stuff' with a BA in Photography from the University of Salford. My photographic work focuses on the strange and unusual- eclectic, vibrant and dramatic portraiture that lands somewhere on the line between art and fashion photography. I'm obsessed with contrasts, surrealism and building a narrative within my imagery. I love the immersion that physical detail adds to my work and so you'll often find me making my own props, testing out makeup ideas or elbow deep in fake blood. My most recent project, ‘Girls, Gore and The Grotesque’ explores correlations between depictions of womanhood and depictions of the monstrous.
Do you like scary movies? And if so which ones?
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Despite being a huge wimp when it comes to scary movies, I love love love horror film aesthetics, and my practice draws a lot from the gore of my favourite films. Karyn Kusama's 'Jennifer's Body' is one of my favourites- it is fun enough to not be super scary, has incredible colour schemes and explores a lot of feminist themes through metaphor. I'm also completely enamoured with Guillermo del Toro's 'Crimson Peak' because the gothic sets and costume are gorgeous.
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Who's your fave Final Girl and why?
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To be predictable, probably Anita 'Needy' Lesnicki from 'Jennifer's Body'. I just find the credit scenes of her murdering the band who killed her best friend so satisfying.
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What is the biggest influence in your practice?
The monstrous feminine, which is what made this open call so exciting to me. I am fascinated by the ways in horror that women become creatures, and the freedom that comes with it, and these ideas have inspired me throughout my entire time practicing photography.
