Estelle Valente was born in Paris, a city to which she maintains a deep connection, and she based herself in Lisbon 14 years ago, saying she cannot do without its sun. She has been photographing fado singer Gisela João since 2012 and to this day. In 2015, she began a collaboration with Teatro Municipal São Luiz, where she photographs rehearsals, performances, and communication campaigns. 2018 was a special year: she held her first exhibition in Setúbal, Carla no Papel, where actress Carla Maciel embodies great film divas of the 20th century (Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich). She went back to Paris for another exhibition, followed by an art residency at Espace Cardin. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of José Saramago’s Nobel Prize, she was invited by Anabela Mota Ribeiro to illustrate the book Por Saramago with her photographs. In 2019, she began a collaboration with GQ magazine, for which she took portraits of cultural personalities. She gave photography lessons at Academia Gerador for 4 years. She also worked as photography editor for Teatro São Luiz’s magazine.
She always tries to add poetry to her photos. She likes to photograph what doesn’t exist.
