Reconstructing the past

I use photography to explore the impact of missing family photos, reconstructing lost histories and examining how they shape identity.

Using photography as both a tool and a mirror, I construct the gaps in my family history—what I call “visual voids”—stepping into the roles of ancestors to confront absence, preserve identity, and explore how memory and inheritance shape who we are. These voids, created by lost or hidden images, have shaped my understanding of self and lineage, pushing me to investigate how a lack of visual records impacts our connection to the past.

This work is part of Constructing a Past, developed between 2023 and 2025, combining photography, video, and audio. Centered on reinterpreting family snapshots, the series includes staged self-portraits based on archived images, often projected, printed, or embedded within installation formats. The work was exhibited at the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery as part of my MFA thesis presentation.

Printed family snapshots hold unique value in my practice because they transform the intangible into the tangible. Holding a printed image is a different experience from scrolling through digital files. The texture and physicality invite deeper engagement. It becomes a touchstone—a recurring point of connection that sparks recognition and dialogue. Unlike digitally stored files, which often remain unseen, printed images demand presence; they are woven into daily life.

By engaging with these photographs—whether reinterpreting, re-staging, or displaying them—I bridge the ephemeral and the material, turning silence into storytelling. Through this body of work, I aim to inspire others to uncover and preserve their histories, using photography as a means to reclaim and reimagine their narratives.