Search for the Self

At the age of 19, my life came to a halt. I went through several changes during that time and felt lost. I began taking loose photographs by chance and showing them to my university classmates. I dropped out of school and my search became a major problem within my family. They did not understand me at that moment, nor do they now, I think. I did not speak much about it. I spent several days and nights locked in my room, creating one self-portrait after another. In the background, I heard voices, crying, screams, complaints, as most of the time my parents were fighting. I grew up in a confusing, hostile, and desolate environment. I never sought comfort and turned to photography. I built my path toward self-knowledge and acceptance through images. They shaped me, not the other way around. Thus, without even looking for it, I found my true essence. Everything that had been trapped inside me came to light in a photograph.