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Freedom Over Me — Photobook
March-April 2024
A Visual Exploration of Self-Expression and Individuality
Each moment that goes by exposes an array of variety: unknown stories formed in tattoos, adventurous spirit revealed in piercings, hairstyles that draws an image of identity, and fashion styles that express a great deal beyond word. Every shot offers a window into a sense of individuality that surrounds the streets of this city, capturing these moments of unique and distinctive self expressions.
The streets became a platform, the individuals passing by the unexpected models, and the camera a tool for documenting pure authenticity. The objective in using photography is to recognise those characteristics that make each induvidual distinct while attempting to unravel the pieces that link people collectively. What started out as an exploration of external accessories eventually uncovered an even deeper reality: that beneath the apparent distinctions is a universal desire for acknowledgment, self-expression, and self-discovery.
Despite the somewhat different ways of self expression in the chaos of urban life, where similarity often rules the highest, there is an unexpected connection. A tattooed musician, an artist with piercings, a student with vibrant hair, a vintage enthusiast
- each individual was a testament to the beauty of embracing themselves for who they are. Further discovering a correlation in the contrast of these many appearances, serves as a reminder that being different means being yourself and not just standing out.
By taking a typological approach and arranging the shots into categories - it highlights the diversity of human expression in all its forms and perspectives rather than an established order. The styles spoke volumes about inner worlds wanting to be explored, the piercings suggested depths of character, the tattoos revealed stories. What came together was a visual unity of distinctiveness, a homage to the power of self-expression in a society that usually contains similarity.
In these portraits of self expression, they act as mirrors reflecting the many ways individuals choose to present themselves to society. This photobook invites viewers to explore visuals that pay homage to the daring and the sophisticated, the quiet and the expressive all emerging together in the most public of galleries - the street.