Mary

(2022 - ongoing)

M ary is a project devoted to Mary, mother of Jesus. Inspired by my traditional Catholic upbringing, the series alternates between portraits of the holy figure found within various churches and self-portraits with devotional objects.

This project is about the complicated relationship I have with the religion I was raised in. I have gone through several phases of believing and non-believing throughout my life, but what has always remained was my deep reverence for Mary. Stories of her purity, empathy, and unwavering devotion to God inspired me when I was a child; she was my role model above all else. In Catholicism, she is venerated not only as the mother of Jesus, but also as the spiritual mother for all of humanity. Catholics also place high emphasis on her roles as a protector and intercessor; by placing one's faith in her, one will overcome evil and grow closer to God.

All the work I create is made in response to my mental health. I started the Mary series to begin healing from the traumas of being raised Catholic and feeling betrayed by a religion that romanticizes restraint and suffering. Mary captures my ongoing process of making reparations with this. Seeking new sites and revisiting old ones to photograph the portraits and objects has reconnected me with Mary. The goal of this project is to heal, come to terms with the past, and let go of my resentment towards Catholicism.