Céline Aieta — On the Other Side of the Given Path

Early September 2026, Paris. While photographing an artist, the photographer Erick listened to her tell the story of how she had come this far.

Céline Aieta makes photographs and paintings in Paris. The body she paints is, more often than not, her own.

There is one question Human Light asks everyone it records: what does a good life mean to you? Her answer was this.

Céline Aieta makes photographs and paintings in Paris. The body she paints is, more often than not, her own.

“For me, a good life is built on freedom—freedom of thought, and freedom of action. Being an artist is what truly grants me that level of independence and allows me to live on my own terms.”

The Path Laid Out

She was once a corporate executive, working in communication for large companies. She earned a master’s degree in communication at Paris-Dauphine University and spent six years as head of communication for corporate headquarters.

“I was raised and conditioned to follow a conventional path—a standard corporate career, starting a family, fitting the mold.”

The turning point came with total mental exhaustion and saturation. She could no longer picture herself in the future.

“That’s when I knew it was time to take the plunge, embrace the risk, and finally live my life fully every single day.”

What Was Needed

She left the company and became a full-time artist. She does not describe it as a career choice. She describes it as a need.

“I felt a deep need to bring real meaning to my life, and I realized that expressing my art was the only way to feel truly fulfilled. Creating through photography and painting wasn’t just a career choice—it was a necessity that naturally took over.”

Photography was not something she started then. She held her first camera at six, and her father, an artist and photographer, taught her the basics. Painting she taught herself.

The Body as Canvas

Work on the tattoo bodysuit that covers her whole body began in 2009 and ended in 2019. For about ten years, she traveled once a month for each new session. In a 2023 interview, she explained what it meant to her.

“To me it just means I allowed myself to be who I am and live the way I want to.”

It was, in her words, “a long, painful and full of self-abnegation process but such a powerful journey.” Working on her body as a canvas, she adds, helped her become deeply aware of that body.

“After using my body as a canvas, I’m now using it as a subject itself through my painted photographs.”

Layering Gold

After years of modeling for photographers, turning the camera on herself was a natural step. This is how her self-portrait series Corps Aurifère was born. Onto her own solarized photographs, she lays thick layers of gold acrylic and gold leaf.

“I don’t want to depict reality, I would say it’s very oniric. It’s both a photograph and a painting depending on how you are looking at it.”

What She Chose

She chose the exact opposite of the path laid out for her: the freedom of being an artist, a life without children, and the transformation of her own appearance.

“Everything changed for the better. Today, I’m living my life to the fullest, and I wish everyone the courage to truly realize who they are. Finding that self-realization is the greatest gift life can offer.”

Archive Card

Biographical details and some quotes are drawn from her 2023 interview with Thomas Berlin. Céline Aieta Interview — Thomas Berlin