Artist Statement
Exposed bellies, backs of knees, two women wrestling, and a pile of hands gathering on my grandmother's arm. I have always been drawn to these secret moments, sacred sites within our internal and most intimate worlds. As I created these photographs over twelve years, it soon became clear that I was composing a world where I desired to exist. My camera mediates between my lived experiences and those I so deeply desire, a place existing between the landscape and my lens. These photographs of women are not just images; they are an offering. They extend a sense of community, a thread of connection, even in the most solitary of moments.
This work explores themes of platonic intimacy, collective experiences, and the power of touch. I made these photographs through staged performances and observation. I am interested in what differentiates something we associate beauty with from something inherently violent. Can you spot a dance between two people from an act of self-defense? In both, bodies sway, roll across the earth, and reveal a sense of vulnerability in the tension between two bodies. Domestic environments and neutral landscapes are the backdrop for these images.
I first began photographing my mother and two younger sisters, which slowly expanded to women I met through word of mouth, on the street, or through ads online. These women are surrogates for me, in a way. We are all eager to connect and be within proximity to one another. I admire the vulnerability it requires to be fully seen by myself and the camera. There is an unspoken sensuality that resonates between us. Seeing these women occupy space satisfies a part I previously wouldn't allow myself to do. I've always felt pressure to take up less space. Now, as I look at their bodies in the landscape, it gives me courage.
I set out to make these photographs without a direct path or concrete way. The errors and missteps are all part of it; it was always about the process for me. This creative act of making these photographs, titled Pas de Deux, is an act of storytelling, giving myself and others a voice and an outlet for connection.
