Self-Expression

This is a part of a series called “I am not my father”. Coming from a family that constantly told boys to not cry and not to talk about their feelings has impacted me more than I knew. I thought of how this process and how this toxic masculinity had a negative impact on everyone, not only on men. Since then I decided to explore what could be considered a feminine side of men, especially men of color.

I call this photo “The power of absence”. It’s about our capacity as humans to remove ourselves mentally from a disturbing situation for self-preservation. This doesn’t mean scars will not remain. It means we did what we could.

“The process” is a photo series about change, about becoming and finding yourself. I see a battle of who we are, and who we are expected to be. This is my representation of the inner fights, the battles to overcome these expectations, looking deeply within and revealing the person we are meant to be, for our own wellbeing, for our happiness.

This photo is very important to me. It’s a part of a self-portrait series called “Dear God”. It was during a time I was dealing with terrible anxiety and I was very depressed. I prayed to God to take that away. 

I postponed this to the last minute, this was actually the final project of this photography Institut I was attending. So I forced myself to do it. When I edited the work and presented it to the group, I felt like a little weight was lift from my shoulders and that was the day I saw photography as a medium of self-expression and healing. I understood its power. From then I understood myself more and more and also dedicated all the energy I had to do what I loved.