hearts & flowers
2023, injet prints, collage.Hearts and flowers as a term refers to an intense sense of nostalgia, longing, even remorse, or homesickness for the past. I’ve become fascinated with feelings of nostalgia for a time that wasn’t necessarily better, but more familiar, and more comfortable. In completing this collection of faceless memories, I came to realize that there is some ease in existing without a face. Faces can be too expressive, they give too much away. Faceless bodies are unknown, they cannot be associated with an identity, and cannot be assigned insecurities or the other growing pains that are symptomatic of existing. This reminiscence of innocence and lack of self-awareness lends itself to childhood, which inspired a great deal of this collection. many of these images embody a sense of melancholy but also nostalgic playfulness, like hiding in a clothing rack, laying face down in a patch of clover, blowing out dandelions, and hanging out the window to catch a breeze. There is also a sense of the awkwardness quintessential to youth and growth, like wanting to hide in plain sight and pinching yourself to remember that you’re real. The result is a small archive of homesickness, longing, and willful anonymity by the name of hearts and flowers.