Paint Me a Feeling – Alessandra Berto and the Language of the Inner Face
Alessandra Berto works at the intersection of portraiture and emotional perception. Her images move inward, toward states that resist naming – moods, tensions, and internal shifts that rarely hold still long enough to be articulated.
Born in Italy and currently based in Spain, she came to photography through a decisive personal turn. When she began, the commitment was immediate. She studied, practiced, and refined her approach with focus, allowing photography to become a disciplined space for attention and inquiry.
Portraiture sits at the center of her work. A gaze, a subtle movement of the eyes, the weight carried in posture or color – these elements shape each image. Her photographs operate through concentration rather than accumulation. Every choice carries intent, yet the images remain open, allowing viewers to enter without instruction.
Portraiture sits at the center of her work. A gaze, a subtle movement of the eyes, the weight carried in posture or color – these elements shape each image. Her photographs operate through concentration rather than accumulation. Every choice carries intent, yet the images remain open, allowing viewers to enter without instruction.
“COLORAME – Paint Me”
Her ongoing project COLORAME forms the core of her visual language.
Through face painting and textile color, Alessandra explores women’s emotional states as layered, shifting, and complex. Color functions as structure, carrying mood and psychological temperature. It becomes a way to articulate fragility, intensity, joy, restraint, and ambiguity – elements that often exist simultaneously.
The women in COLORAME appear present and grounded, never reduced to symbols. Each portrait holds a distinct emotional atmosphere, shaped by collaboration, trust, and attentiveness. The work unfolds slowly, allowing nuance to remain intact.
The women in COLORAME appear present and grounded, never reduced to symbols. Each portrait holds a distinct emotional atmosphere, shaped by collaboration, trust, and attentiveness. The work unfolds slowly, allowing nuance to remain intact.
“Practice and Recognition”
Her practice has grown with clarity and momentum. She is part of the permanent collection at StreetSoup Art Gallery in Milan. Her work has appeared in Peng Magazine and HazlMag, both online and in print. An interview and selected images were featured in Spectaculum Magazine, where she discussed her use of ICM and long exposure – techniques she continues to explore for their capacity to introduce movement, memory, and emotional depth.
These moments of recognition sit alongside an ongoing commitment to learning and refinement. Her work continues to evolve through careful observation and sustained attention.
These moments of recognition sit alongside an ongoing commitment to learning and refinement. Her work continues to evolve through careful observation and sustained attention.
“A Way of Seeing”
Alessandra approaches photography as a form of listening. Her images give space to emotional presence without compression or simplification. They invite viewers to stay with what surfaces – a look, a color, a pause – and to experience it without urgency.
This approach defines her voice. The work carries clarity without closure, intimacy without intrusion. It honors complexity through restraint.
This is why Alessandra Berto belongs in Rare Storyteller. Because she does not photograph women to show them – she photographs them to feel them. And in doing so, she gives color to what is usually invisible.
This approach defines her voice. The work carries clarity without closure, intimacy without intrusion. It honors complexity through restraint.
This is why Alessandra Berto belongs in Rare Storyteller. Because she does not photograph women to show them – she photographs them to feel them. And in doing so, she gives color to what is usually invisible.
The pictures and perspectives expressed above are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent the views of Rare Storyteller or its team.
to the world.