The Aquatic Street by Deb Achak

Deb Achak's Aquatic Street series documents life by the ocean as a silent observer. She swims within crowds of people, looking below the surface, both literally and figuratively.

Traveling the world and swimming with her camera allows Achak to chronical beach culture from the unique vantage point of the water, a method she refers to as aquatic street photography. She looks for locations where people seek pleasure in the water, capturing the full range of human experience, from joy to weightless suspension to peaceful contemplation.

The "street" in "aquatic street photography", often takes the form of rocks jutting out of the water, the sandy or pebbly coastline, and the water itself, which becomes a thoroughfare for families, packs of children, elderly couples and endless others captured in weightless suspension, or swept up into a wave.

The concept of seeing below the surface is a key element of the Aquatic Street. It's about getting in touch with what's hidden or not readily visible. It also celebrates the fundamental beauty of people, regardless of culture, age, or body size. There is a hidden world under the surface of water but also within each of us that is mysterious and rare. Achak is curious about the way ordinary bodies suspended in water -- both poetic and painterly -- reveal something about our true nature. We are all exceptional in our own way, but who are we without the artifice of belongings and careers, stripped down to our swimsuits and bareskin, floating weightless and in our joy? The water brings that forth like no other environment.







About Deb Achak
Deb Achak is a contemporary fine art photographer based in Seattle, WA. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad, including Women Street Photographers Anual Group Exhibitions, New York, NY (2018, 2019, 2020); Winston Wächter Fine Art in Seattle; Foto Festival in Bielsko-Biala, Poland; Sofia Photo Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria; Photoplace Gallery in Middlebury, VT; and the Vermont Center for Photography in Brattleboro, VT. In addition, her work is in the permanent collection of the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops in Santa Fe, NM. She is the recipient of numerous accolades for photography, and her work is represented by Winston Wächter Fine Art New York and Seattle.

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