A New Photo Series: Silence.

“Silence” is an invitation and a meditation on censorship, suppression, and erasure—-and on the heavy weight of unspoken voices. This self-portrait series begins with digital photography that I captured and intentionally minimizes digital manipulation. It reflects on the voices often erased throughout the past and present by transforming raw, intimate black-and-white portraits into abstracted bodies that have been marked into silence. Each piece explores how suppression can dismantle identity, push us into confined spaces, and attempt to erase our pain. Through layers of redaction, scribbles, heavy contrast, scribbles, distortion, and negative space, I want viewers to recognize that vulnerable pain is real—-and that the erasure of identity can leave people's stories untold and in dire conditions. These works also mirror my own struggle to reclaim my voice and be heard—a disorienting and harsh journey from presence to disappearance, from speaking to ultimate muteness. Through this series, I examine how freedom and press are at risk, while also affirming that reclamation is possible. “Silence” acknowledges the cost of being silenced, yet secretly celebrates resilience and the power of visibility that emerges through resistance.