Burning Lilies

By making myself vulnerable and taking my own experiences as a starting point, I break down the taboo of consciously remaining childless with Burning Lilies.

Burning Lilies

Burning Lilies' is about my conscious choice not to have children. It shows the vulnerability of this choice in itself and its consequences. This choice caused a stir in my and my partner's circle of friends and family. Despite our choice being made, the opinions and counter-arguments remain a sensitive issue. Who will take care of us later? And isn't it our moral obligation as human beings to procreate? Besides the fact that such a choice is already drastic, navigating a sea of ​​​​opinions of our loved ones is an additional struggle.

In each photo in the series I depict the arguments of us and our loved ones have about our choice. A friend with her child and husband show how my contemporaries can derive joy from parenthood, but it’s a big responsibility. Three hands of three generations holding the long stem of a flower show my mother and grandmother. I myself cut the flower at the root: it will not grow any further. Burning lilies refer to the lily's associations with femininity and fertility. By letting it burn, it irreversibly loses its beauty.

By making myself vulnerable and taking my own experiences as a starting point, I break down the taboo of consciously remaining childless with Burning Lilies.