Ouka Leele - Supernova

The rich graphic material from the Lafuente archives gathered in this volume traces the transformation of artist Bárbara Allende into Ouka Leele, the pseudonym she adopted in the late 1980s. A key figure in the history of 20th-century Spanish photography, Ouka Leele’s work is presented here in dialogue with a selection of her drawings, comics, notebooks, and preparatory sketches. Her black-and-white and color photographs evolve from early images taken within the family circle to sophisticated staged compositions, culminating in her iconic series Peluquería. This book explores the universe of Bárbara Allende, from which Ouka Leele was born. Bárbara Allende Gil de Biedma (Madrid, 1957) initially pursued painting. She studied fine arts before abandoning it to study piano, all while attending Photocentro to learn photography. A self-taught artist, she became one of the leading portraitists and key figures of the Movida Madrileña in the early 1980s. She is known for her distinctive black-and-white photographs hand-painted with watercolors. In 2005, she was awarded the National Photography Prize.