River of Names

Through dark, atmospheric photographs of the neglected, overgrown places where I grew up, River of Names explores landscapes as unresolved as the memories they mirror. Confronting the lasting weight of the sexual abuse I experienced in early adolescence, which is now being processed in my adulthood. Twisted vines and forgotten paths reflect the shame, rage, and disorientation I have carried, as well as the feeling of searching for something I never truly knew. Intertwining portraits of the women closest to me serve as a meditation on the woman I might have been had things gone differently, questioning how much of my identity is shaped by what was done to me. Creating new memories in these spaces and spending time with nature and these women becomes an act of reflection and healing. This work ultimately forms a visual meditation on what is taken, what remains, and the quiet hauntings held within both bodies and place.