The Stranger I Am

In this project I explore themes such as alienation, in-between states, disintegration of self and the fluid nature of identity, mostly but not exclusively in a domestic setting as a stage for societal issues and as a reflection of a state of mind.

This project, with the working title ‘The Stranger I Am’, explores the imprecise and shifting nature of categories and boundaries. It tries to capture uncertain, in-between states and shifting identities; where is the boundary between ourselves and the outside world? How do identities and memories shift over time? And how can we even depict what is unstable, constantly changing, unclear? 

These images are born out of feelings of alienation that have always been present in my life but have been exacerbated by a recent move abroad. To deal with the conflicting feelings this evokes in me I want to explore the dual nature of more fluid states, both as a possibility for openness and transformation as well as leading to abjection and dissociation. I mostly work in the domestic space, as a microcosmos which encapsulates a lot of ambivalences and tensions and is a place where a lot of societal struggles are played out. In this way it becomes a stage to address issues that concern me personally, but are also deeply human. Drawing on my background in literature and literary theory, I weave together these images into a fragmented, non‑linear narrative that resists fixed interpretation and formally echoes the fractured, unstable nature of the condition humaine.