(re)union (2021)
(re)union is an ongoing project I am working on with my former partner, Lee, where we explore the expectations and experiences that come with being in a relationship. Inspired by intimacy, interdependency and daydreams, we translated our feelings and ideas into images by taking self-portraits. This project is based on an earlier body of work: (re)visiting, which I made a summer before, when Lee and I broke up for a brief period of time. Whereas (re)visiting is about learning how to be on your own, (re)union is its sequel about learning how to be with someone again. As much as you want to give yourself to another person, past trauma often gets in the way. Not only is this project about the hard feelings that come with being in a relationship, it is also about the joy that a queer relationship can bring. Maintaining autonomy while being fully vulnerable is what inspired me for this project. We had to learn how to trust each other again, and in my work I aim to translate these feelings into visual art, while at the same time dealing with these emotions by using them for my work.