When I was little, my father would pretend to transform into various beasts and monsters. Before the ritual would begin, he raised his lip, revealing wolf-like canines. Overcome by a primal aggression, he would grasp his face in agony, but just before losing control, he would always catch himself.
As an adult, I experienced instances of violence and public harassment and have turned to image-making to heal. Using photography, I confront spaces that haunt my psyche and, in the process, take ownership over feeling safe.
After the Embers Burn and Die is an ongoing body of work inspired by my father’s stories and teachings. He emphasized the sacredness of the land, teaching me of animism, spirituality, and myth, which I reference as I distort and dislocate the natural world, investigating themes of the liminal, identity, and death.
