This project explores the complex intersections of identity, faith, and queerness within a traditional, religious family. I examine the tension between cultural expectations and personal truths, using large-format photography to create a dialogue that reflects my experiences of secrecy, resilience, and self-acceptance.
The self-portrait strips my identity to its essential elements. This void-like outline symbolizes the erasure I felt growing up as the “black sheep” in a religious household, where my queerness was hidden, unspoken, and treated as a shameful secret. A partially burned Bible found in an abandoned space conveys the fragility and endurance of faith—an object both sacred and scarred, much like my own relationship with religion. A still life of candles, juxtaposed with a rosary and a carabineer and pride stickers on the outer candles, reflects the coexistence of two seemingly opposing forces: faith and queerness.
Portraits of my family reveal the layers of secrecy and tension embedded within our relationships. In one image, my parents gesture for silence while I hold a photograph of my partner, highlighting their insistence on secrecy about my identity. The Outlier, a photograph of shattered glass, breaks from the structured narrative of the other images. The cracks and bullet-like hole symbolize rupture—a breaking point where imposed silence and internal conflict collide with self-acceptance—a moment of transformation where the constraints of tradition give way to freedom.
This collection of images creates a dialogue that examines the tension between belonging and individuality, silence and expression, shame and pride. The project confronts the past while affirming the present. Through this work, I aim to shed light on the complex layers of family, faith, and identity that shape who we are.
