Inspired by a personal moment shared with my mother, Things She Will Leave Behind explores the interactions between memory, material inheritance, and the passage of time. This project was born during a trip to Paris for her 60th birthday, where she stood in the bathroom of the hotel, and I said, “I love that necklace” that she was wearing at the time, and she responded with, “Just think one day soon you will have all my jewelry.” As an only child, I found myself left with a question: What is the meaning of the things left behind when the person who gave them their significance is no longer there? 

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At its core, this series is a dialogue between myself and my mother, between past and present, and between the emotional and material. While initially, it began as a fashion editorial using her wardrobe and jewelry, the project evolved into something far more layered. Through the process of selecting items and hearing her stories, I uncovered a profound difference in how we view these possessions. For her, each item is filled with history and meaning, while for me, they often remain objects, until they aren’t.

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Visually, the work reflects a collaboration between my mother’s artistic legacy and my artistic evolution. Together, we painted the abstract backdrops featured in the images, a process that became an extension of the project’s themes of connection and continuity. Her earlier works, characterized by paint drippings, were a major influence in this series. 

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This series also examines the emotional burden of inheritance, how items we once admired can become overwhelming reminders of those we’ve lost. Each photograph focuses on elements of material inheritance, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, highlighting their dual role as objects of beauty and carriers of stories. Through techniques like long exposure and light painting, the images evoke the brief yet enduring nature of memory, capturing the tension between permanence and impermanence.

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Things She Will Leave Behind is also my attempt to transform the fashion photography industry into a more artistic space by blending fine art elements with personal storytelling. By merging fashion editorial imagery with conceptual depth, I aim to create a unique visual language that challenges the boundaries of traditional fashion photography. This project not only redefines the relationship between art and fashion but also invites viewers to engage with universal themes of memory, loss, and the inescapable passage of time. Through this fusion of genres, I aim to inspire a deeper appreciation for the emotional narratives behind the visual beauty.