About Me

“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart & head.”  - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Born in Mauritius, I grew up in South Africa in an abundantly creative family. Through my mother’s gusto for taking photographs whilst growing up, combined with my studies & travels abroad, I developed a passion for photography.

The vibrant colours, pulsating energies & expansive natural elements of my Southern African & Indian Ocean Motherlands captivate my soul & fuel my creative path.

Diverse colour palettes, nuances of nature & fragments of fantasy are common threads in my work, created by combining macro photography with mixed media art, organic elements & found objects.

Macro photography highlights the magnificence that lies in the finer details, often unseen or overlooked by the human eye.

The photographic & mixed media artmaking processes encourage me to turn inwards regularly, to savour the mysteries of the spiritual & imaginative landscapes & to give thanks for the intelligence & mastery of nature in this life.

My name is Virginie Harel, AKA iSpyVenus & I am a Cape Town based mixed media artist & photographer.

Welcome to the Land of iSpyVenus Art & Photography, where colour, nature & fantasy are celebrated & honoured in the form of intuitive & heart-centered creations.

My latest collections of work are now available as limited edition art photography prints in the 'Art Photography Print Shop' section of this website.

Thank you for visiting my creative planet in the virtual sphere.