you’ll understand when you grow up / 2

This project is rooted in my experience of growing up in a family where care and violence could exist side by side. I use the language of still life to talk about the things that are difficult to say directly: the appearance of an ordinary family life, cold intimacy, fear, and the constant feeling that something might go wrong. I build the images from everyday objects, using them as stand-ins for people, memories, and situations. Red appears throughout the project as a recurring image connected to my mother. It evokes blood and family ties, but also the particular shade of lipstick she used to wear. At the same time, red reflects the body and nervous system kept in a state of constant alert. For me, family inheritance is not only what we receive from those who came before us. It is also what we choose to carry forward, and what we decide ends with us.