"My purpose behind the work is to question and find understanding in the craziness, tragedy, vulnerability, beauty and power of humanity." CLR
Christy Lee Rogers is a visual artist known for her modern-day Baroque approach to art, working in both still and moving images. Revered for her unique underwater technique, Rogers uses light and the refraction in water to create painterly images that echo the drama of Caravaggio and Rubens. Through choreographed bodies suspended in motion, her work explores the vulnerability, sensuality, chaos, and beauty of the human condition.
Rogers was born and raised on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, where the ocean shaped both her imagination and artistic instincts. From a young age, she was drawn to the sea—surfing, swimming, and exploring underwater lava tubes. At 15, she began taking photographs with a 35mm camera and developing film in the darkroom. She later studied filmmaking at San Diego State University, where her passion for visual storytelling deepened, and her love of Fellini films began. Today, her work merges that cinematic foundation with her early love of water.
She has been commissioned by James Cameron and Disney for Avatar: The Way of Water, collaborated with Apple for the Shot on iPhone campaign, and created the cover for Lavazza’s The New Humanity calendar. Rogers’ passion for blending light, movement, and emotion has earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards Open Photographer of the Year in 2019. She is also a two time finalist for the Contemporary Talents Award from the Fondation François Schneider in France. Her influence has extended into music as well, where her image Harmony was featured on the album cover for Wang Chung’s Orchesography, fusing her dreamlike visuals with the rhythm of sound. And her Odyssey images were selected for the 2013–2014 performance season of the Angers-Nantes Opera in France. One of Rogers’ most celebrated works, Reckless Unbound, now resides at Longleat House in the UK; the stately home, which is the seat of the Marquesses of Bath and also home to Renaissance gems of the Italian masters, like Titan’s "Rest on the Flight into Egypt."
Rogers’ work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide—including Paris, London, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Mexico City—and is held in prominent collections such as Longleat House in the UK. Her images, often featuring angels, muses, and mythological figures, reimagine classical themes through a contemporary lens.
The Independent, London - Jan 6, 2013 - Adam Jacques "The ethereal payoff is indeed redolent of a mix of Masters – the vivid hues of Titian, the straining bodies of Rubens, the sun-dappling chiaroscuro of Caravaggio, but also the loose brushstrokes and fluid movement of Delacroix; hints, too, of the Tiepolo-esque heavenly ascents adorning many an 18th-century Venetian chapel.
Yet, for all these highfalutin qualities, Rogers' subjects were no gods, kings or mythical beasts, but rather her friends, whom she coaxed to writhe around in a local swimming pool – a simplicity that reflects both her method (the pictures are entirely undoctored) and the purity of Rogers' lifelong love of the water.”
SELECTED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Collection, Los Angeles, California
Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona, Minnesota
Grand Théâtre d'Angers Opera House, Angers, France
Longleat House, Wiltshire, England
James Cameron Private Collection
Jack Hues, Wang Chung, Private Collection
Bellagio Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Valmont (Didier Guillon), Shanghai, China
LaLaurie Haunted Mansion, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
Joie de Vivre, Troubadour Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana
Mondrian Hotel, Hong Kong
Photo Technique Magazine, US - 2011 - Duncan Beebe In an art world seemingly saturated with post-modern, self-aware, or process-based work, it is refreshing to meet an artist who believes in art’s power to penetrate reality and inspire us, a Classical idea, which is at the core of the work. Rogers firmly and wonderfully believes that beauty can change man. In order to achieve a sort of photographic mise-en- scène, she had to find a new way to create her images. They couldn’t be fictitious, as that would undermine her intent to demonstrate that there are still mysterious, impossibly beautiful things on Earth—not solely in our imaginations. The work of a true artist lies in manifesting their inner world externally. To accomplish this she turned to water. “It became an obsession of mine to communicate through my art that there was more to man than a body controlled by the peculiar nature of the physical universe; that he or she was more capable than ever imagined. I dedicated most of my time to conceptualizing and planning how to communicate that message.”
"What I want more than ever is to express and inspire hope and freedom, a sense of wonder and tranquility, to create a safe place to dream wildly, and most importantly to inspire the idea that there are still mysterious, impossibly beautiful things on Earth—not solely in our imaginations." CLR
"It can be dangerous at times because the water is unforgiving; it seeps in the nostrils, it’s cold and has a life of it’s own. You move where it wants you to move, and the fabrics dance at their own pace. For the models, being under water shuts off the excessive thought process that we all have going on in our heads, which is wonderful because it allows them to really be themselves completely. “ CLR
AWARDS AND HONORS
2024
Honorable Mention, Van Gogh Tribute Award, “Reflection”, 2024
Finalist, Graciela Iturbide MA-g Awards , The Museum of Avant-Garde, “Luminescence”, 2024
Gold, 9th Annual International Imaging Competition, Top 100 Images, #29, “Sea of Tranquility”, 2024
Gold, European Photography Awards, Fine Art - Open Theme, “Muses of Avatar”, 2024
Honorable Mention, European Photography Awards, Fine Art - Open Theme, “Luminescence”, 2024
Gold, Master Photographers Intl., 9th Annual International Imaging Competition, Fine Art, “Sea of Tranquility”, 2024
Future of Art Global Masterpiece Award, Contemporary Art Curator Magazine and Contemporary Art Collectors, 2024
Honorable Mention, London Photography Awards, Fine Art - Open Theme, “Luminescence”, 2024
2023
Motiva Photo Art Circuit, Experimental and General Color, “Love Live, Bright Star, Luminescence”, 2023
Silver, New York Photography Awards, Fine Art Photography, “Sea of Tranquility”, 2023
Honorable Mention, Chromatic Photography Awards, Fine Art, “Sea of Tranquility”, 2023
2022
Bronze, One Eyeland Photography Award 2021, Fine Art, “Into the Unknown”, 2022
Best of Show, Trierenberg Super Circuit, Experimental Photography “Mercy, Wisdom and Insight”, 2022
2021
Honorable Mention, 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, Fine Art Series “Human” Collection, 2021
Shortlist, World Water Day Photo Contest, Storytelling, Mankind and Water A Long Love Story, Italy, “Human” Collection, 2021
2nd Place, Moscow International Foto Awards, Portfolio, “Human Collection, 2021
Gold, Moscow International Foto Awards, Portfolio/Fine Art, “Human Collection, 2021
Platinum Winner, Muse Photography Awards, Fine Art Photography Category, “Human” Collection, 2021
Official Selection, AwareNow, for Cause Conscious Art, May 2021
2020
Finalist, London International Creative Competition 2020, Create (Art), “Human Collection”, 2020
Best of Best Winner, Creative Communication Award, Photography Category, “Muses”, 2020
Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards, Fine Art Category, “Human” Collection, 2020
Winner Abstract Category, Malta International Photo Award,,2019/2020 Edition, “A Dream Dreamed in the Presence of Reason”
Cube Award, ADC 99th Annual Awards, Fine Art/ Conceptual Series “Muses”, 2020
Finalist, World Water Day Photo Contest, Climate Change,, “Storytelling” Muses, Italy 2020
Lurzer’s Archive. 200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide, 2020
Finalist, COCA Center of Contemporary Artists 2020, Rome, Barcelona, Ability of the Artist - Photography, Video Art, “Muses”
2019
Open Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards 2018, The World Photography Organization “Harmony”
Honorable Mention, Le Prix de la Photographie de Paris 2019, Fine Art “Muses”
Silver Award, Moscow International Foto Awards 2019, Portfolio Fine Art “Muses”
Honorable Mention, London International Creative Competition 2018, Video & Film, Professional Category, “A Conversation with Angels”
Honorable Mention, London International Creative Competition 2018, Video & Film, Professional Category, “Color High”
1st Place Open Motion Category, Sony World Photography Awards 2018, The World Photography Organization “Harmony”
Silver Award, Tokyo International Foto Awards 2018, Professional, Portfolio Fine Art Category “Muses”
Gold Medal, Trierenberg Super Circuit 2019, Panorama “Creation”
Silver Award, One Eyeland Photography Awards 2018, Fine Art, Other Category “Muses”
2018
2nd Prize in Fine Art, Chromatic Photography Awards 2018, Professional Category, “Muses” 2018
Visual Art Award, La Cultura Es Femenina 2018 “Muses”, Laboratorio de Investigación e Innovación en Arquitectura Urbanismo y Cultura (Laboratory of Research and Innovation in Architecture, Urbanism and Culture), Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Finalist - Contemporary Talents 2017, Fondation François Schneider, France
2015
Finalist - Contemporary Talents 2014, Fondation François Schneider, France
2014
Medal of Honor from the Mayor of the City of Angers, France
Artist Award, Artlightenment, Art & Film Festival, USA
Film Award - Best Poetic Expression, "Elan: Flags", Artlightenment, Art & Film Festival, US
2013
Selected Artist for 2013/2014 Angers-Nantes Opera Performance Season, France
Nominee in fine Art – 6th Annual Photography Masters Cup, Los Angeles, CA
Film Award - Best Artistic Expression, "Of Smoke and Gold", Artlightenment, Art & Film Festival, USA
2012
Finalist – Emergent Artist Award, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Featured – Empty Kingdom – Top 100 Artists of 2011
2011
Finalist – The One Life International Photography Competition
Featured - 500 Photographers by Pieter Wisse
TALKS AND LECTURES
2025
The Parthenon Museum, “Top Donor Event”, Artist Talk, Nasvhille, TN (March 27, 2025)
2023
The Royal Photographic Society, “Exploring Vulnerability”, Artist Talk, (April 17, 2023)
2021
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, In conjunction with the exhibit Bernini and the Italian Baroque: Masterpieces from Palazzo Chigi, In Ariccia, Artist Talk, (May 6, 2021)
The Photography Show London, Lecture and Talk, “Staying focused in a watery world”, London (March 7, 2021)
2020
Colnaghi Foundation, with art historian Isabelle Kent (Sept. 2020)
2017
The Art Institute of Tennessee, “A World in Need of Art”, Nashville, US (Feb 22, 2017)
2015
The Art Institute of Tennessee, “Artist Talk”, Nashville, US (May 7, 2015)
Lycée DUPLESSIS-MORNAY Art School, Galerie d'Art du Lycée exhibition, presented by Ten Arts Paris, Saumur, France (January 29, 2015)
2014
Artlightenment Film and Art Festival, “Rogers: Making a Career as an Artist”, Nashville, US (November 13, 2014)
AUCTIONS
2024
Minnesota Marine Art Museum, “For the Love of Water”, Auction “Candy”, September, 2024
2023
Houston Center for Photography Museum, Print Auction, “Tenderness”, March 23, 2023
2022
Oceaverse - Endowment for the Oceans, “Shine” NFT (April 22, 2024)
2021
Sotheby’s and Fund-Art, Charity art auction in favor of the Vienna CS Hospice Rennweg, “Drowning in Her Sea”, Vienna
2020
Charity Stars, Lavazza 2021 Calendar Cover Image, Donated to Save the Children, The New Horizons
Christie’s, Benefit for the Terrence Higgins Trust, “She Walks in Beauty, Like the Night”, London (March 3, 2020)
Paddle 8, Little Black Gallery, Girls! Girls! Girls!, London (Jan. 27, 2020)
MAD Leadership Foundation, Benefit Auction, “Ebb & Flow”, South Africa (Jan 2, 2020)