Do not abandon me

Abandonment is a strong word that conjures up images of objects and people that have been neglected, forgotten, and emptied.

Although I felt connected to a variety of themes I might investigate as an artist, I wanted to create something that spoke to me at my core, a project that would be both a story and a study of the range of human feelings and viewpoints on a single topic: abandonment. I feel emotionally connected to women as a woman and as a photographer, and I believe that by admitting our shadows from previous traumas, we can heal and create a new story. Without vulnerability, there is no strength, and vice versa. We bring light into the dark by sharing our stories, therefore photography may serve as a confessional and healing tool.

I came up with the concept for the project when visiting my mother and photographing her in a state of loneliness, depression, and hopelessness.

 On a larger scale, women are still abandoned in modern society, many being unable to speak up for themselves and continually restrained by patriarchy in an effort to stifle their power.

 The project involves photographing women nude in their bedroom, using their beds as canvas and telling their personal stories about abandonment. 

 The bed is also a significant symbol; it is the place where we experience the majority of our emotions, pleasures, and sufferings.

I chose not to disclose their identities or faces because I don't think identification is relevant in my project; instead, I'm utilising body language to show their relationship to the sensation of abandonment.

Each image, like the story and subject behind it, is one-of-a-kind.