cutting ties would never break or bond
Graduation work Willem de Kooning Academy, Bachelor Fine Arts: Photography
cutting ties would never break or bond is a series of self-portraits about generational trauma within mother-child relationships and finding closure through acceptance and empathy. For generations, the trauma passed through the female line of my family remained unspoken—shaped by shame, silence, and rejection. My own relationship with my mother is often a triggering one, and I often considered cutting ties to escape the cycle.
However, through creating this project, I realized that breaking the cycle was never about erasing the scars of the past. It was about acknowledging their influence on my life and recognizing that how I responded to their consequences determined whether I continued or ended the cycle.
In photographing myself in nature with an umbilical cord—both alone and with my mother—I used the symbolism of the cord to reflect the ongoing, but often painful bond between us. These self-portraits express my desire for a sense of belonging and act as a tool of introspection, using the camera to make visible a truth that had long remained silent. Through this process, we were not only able to break the silence that had hung over us for years but through confronting the unspoken we have significantly improved our relationship.
cutting ties would never break or bond is a series of self-portraits about generational trauma within mother-child relationships and finding closure through acceptance and empathy. For generations, the trauma passed through the female line of my family remained unspoken—shaped by shame, silence, and rejection. My own relationship with my mother is often a triggering one, and I often considered cutting ties to escape the cycle.
However, through creating this project, I realized that breaking the cycle was never about erasing the scars of the past. It was about acknowledging their influence on my life and recognizing that how I responded to their consequences determined whether I continued or ended the cycle.
In photographing myself in nature with an umbilical cord—both alone and with my mother—I used the symbolism of the cord to reflect the ongoing, but often painful bond between us. These self-portraits express my desire for a sense of belonging and act as a tool of introspection, using the camera to make visible a truth that had long remained silent. Through this process, we were not only able to break the silence that had hung over us for years but through confronting the unspoken we have significantly improved our relationship.
