05/18/2026
reclamation IV: reclamation of the self 🖤
these images, this day, this shoot, would not have been possible, would not exist without the physical help and emotional support of yanina, thank you 💖
full project statement below ❣️
Reclamation is an ongoing project that examines the process of reclaiming autonomy over our bodies in the aftermath of sexual assault. What began as a personal response to an oversexualized adolescence has expanded into a collective inquiry into healing after the loss of agency in choices made for, and upon, our bodies.
Through this work, I find myself moving through this liminal, nonlinear space to witness how my, and others, bodies can be re-inhabited with care and agency, through self-acceptance gained through time, and through reminders given thoughtfully and frequently by our loved ones.
There came a point in my journey of aftermath, in which exhaustion hit. Exhaustion spreading out of the amount of time the intensity of processing, both introspectively and institutionally public, has already absorbed. I attempt, in collaboration with those whose bodies show, and those whose don’t, to focus on turning towards the reformation of the self, while acknowledging the pain that has led to this need to rebuild, rather than centering it further. I hope to offer proximity rather than closure, recognition rather than resolution. We linger between vulnerability and power, where the self is redrawn through touch, reflection, self-assuredness, and shared bearing.
The project unfolds through close collaboration with each participant, together creating space for them to be portrayed as they wish to be seen.
