portrait courtesy of Blake Nelson https://www.blakenelson.work/
about:
I am a practicing photographer based between Austin, TX and Chicago, IL. My work explores surrealism as a tool to question and redefine human perception and reality. Grounded in feminist and existentialist mentalities, my practice seeks to spark introspective reflection through a deceptively simple yet expansive question: why?
Through photography, I strip reality to its barest threads, re-contextualizing what is often labeled visceral, grotesque, uncanny, or taboo. I aim to present these elements not only as visually compelling, but also intellectually confrontational. My work invites viewers to turn inward toward the subconscious, provoking subtle shifts in perception that foster a heightened awareness of self. The images haunt--less as answers, more as invitations to question.
Currently, my focus lies in themes of destruction, obscurity, and the organic. These concepts serve as entry points for contemplating mortality, intimacy, and a feminine experience of the human condition. Through photographic performance, I use techniques like long exposure and tight crops to both conceal and reveal, challenging the viewer’s unconscious assumptions while revealing fragments of my own existence. In this duality, I search for a form of enlightenment--an understanding of the self that is sacred, primal, and transformative.
Ultimately, I hope my images inspire others to question their own perceptions, to find power in vulnerability, and to reclaim the narratives of their bodies, minds, and lives.