Figures Fade and Souls Are Sore

This series of photographic collages deals with the personal insecurities and discomforts that I feel towards my body. The images are entirely focused on my body alone. Photographing just my body, rather than my loved ones bodies, gives me the freedom to expose and fragment the work in ways that I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing to someone else. It’s unfortunate the way we view others rarely matches the way we view ourselves.

Sewing on top of images has been an interesting way to transform the work. I enjoy pushing the capabilities of an image even further than what comes out of the printer. The stitched elements portray a distorted reality of how I view myself. Some photographs have pieces of flesh collaged together, making it look almost like mangled meat, this represents the human body and how underneath we are all messy, fleshy creatures. I find that this is relatable to everyone who has felt the pressure of society's unattainable beauty standards. Elements of this work are also a response to the sexualization of women's bodies and how I feel when in these situations.