At Espace 22 in Monaco, ‘Unfiltered’, a duo exhibition featuring Swedish photographer Johan Grundin and French-Swedish painter Vicky Giraud, presented contrasting yet complementary perspectives on female identity and empowerment.
Curated by Marbella’s Fusion Art Gallery, the exhibition – which ran until 30th June – offered art enthusiasts the opportunity to witness how to distinct artistic voices approach the same subject.
Johan Grundin brings his mastery of body painting and photography to create ethereal images. Working exclusively with performance artists and dancers, Grundin captures subjects who are already comfortable with their bodies and self-expression.
“Johan works with performance artists and dancers who are really expressive, and he captures these beautiful moments of a woman letting go of her feelings,” explained Irina Machneva Mota, partner and director of Fusion Art Gallery.
What distinguishes Grundin’s approach is his treatment of nudity—while his subjects are often unclothed, his photography deliberately avoids sexualisation. Instead, he presents the female form as a canvas for artistic expression, using body paint, dramatic lighting, and smoke effects to create atmospheres that exist outside of time and space.
Inner dialogues on canvas
Vicky May Giraud approaches feminine identity from an entirely different angle. The artist delves into the psychological landscape of womanhood through her series ‘Queen of the Deck’ and ‘Duality and Reflection’.
“In this series, duality and reflection, Vichy shows several personalities of one woman,” Mota explained. “She also started working with texts that she puts in the images. You can see that this is an inner dialogue happening—when you talk to yourself, and sometimes one sub personality tells you one thing and another one says something conflicting.”
Giraud’s paintings present what Mota describes as a ‘female fatale’ aesthetic—women who are bold, powerful, and unafraid.
However, unlike traditional femme fatale imagery, these works explore the complexity of female identity, acknowledging that strength and vulnerability can coexist within the same person.
Contrasting visions, unified message
The exhibition’s strength lies in how these two distinct artistic voices complement each other. Grundin documents women who have already embraced their freedom and power, capturing them in moments of uninhibited expression. His subjects exist authentically, comfortable with their bodies and emotions.
Giraud, conversely, presents an aspirational vision—exploring the journey toward self-acceptance and the internal negotiations that women navigate daily.
“For her, it’s something that she wants to become,” Mota observed. “And for Johan, he works with women, and he depicts them how they are.”
See more in Kyriaki Topalidou’s video reel below…
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Main photo by Monaco Life.