Finem Respice Photograph

Throughout the last years my work has consisted, mainly, in the exploitation of the relationship between photography, space and identity. Originally, the background theme of my work stood developed around my personal experience, being an emigrant since childhood and having come across with other cultures and ethnicities. These experiences brought up, naturally, several questions, related with my individual and cultural identity (needs linked to everything that is being Portuguese). The process of building my identity involves a conflict of relations, developed in the process of understanding the "self" and the "other". These concepts are generally reflected in my work and evident in the project "The Flaying of the Stranger," in which the space provides a dividing line, a border between "my house" and that "of others." The photography is used to represent more than a physical, mental, and sociocultural space. In "33" and "Finem Respice" the sense of belonging is also explored through the contrast between inner and outer space. The tenuous representation of the human figure, in my work, shows exactly this conflict, but at the same time, creates a sense of unity, merging the spaces. The project "Escape from Plato's Cave" may be understood as a conflict resolution, as mentioned, intending to translate the release of constraints that prevent us from adopting broader perspectives about ourselves and the environment. It's therefore a work related to the release of personal and physical boundaries, which in turn, can translate a way of living as demonstrated by the Portuguese identity: the desire for exploration, emigration, among other aspects. The use of red is a common factor in many of my works, accentuating the ambiguity concerning the division of space, creating an "essence" of uncertainty, "nostalgia" and visual provocation.