Coming In

Coming In is a project I realized as part of my bachelor photography diploma at ECAL. the project resulted in a 140-page hardcover book in which I explore notions of adolescence and identity-building through analog photography and drawing.

Adolescence is synonymous with identity construction. Identity is redefined by today’s queer youth. The aesthetics they adopt reflect a desire for singularity in a changing society. In a collaborative way, I accompany a process of self-affirmation. They blossom and I offer them a space in which to express themselves. Photography takes shape: a safe place for participants to unfold their fantasised personalities – a kind of alter ego in the making. These self-portraits echo the intimate experience of coming in. They become moments of breath, of reconciliation. Through encounters, drawing and photography, they reveal their intimate selves to me. Coming in is a visual interpretation of this process.