The Exhale, 2021

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My project The Exhale focuses on the human desire for community and letting go. With the return of social gatherings, I am interested in depicting the sense of freedom and relief that we are now experiencing at the end of the lockdowns caused by the global pandemic.

The images depict my friends at social gatherings and parties, which I attend as a participant and observer at once. Using a point-and-shoot camera, I aim to document candid moments that portray a moment of release and reveal an unstaged truth – a moment of quiet and understanding in a loud space. It is important to me that the images communicate a sense of intimacy and closeness with my subjects.

The Exhale also investigates the temporary escape and transformation resulting from consuming alcohol and drugs. Drinking and smoking lead to a loss of control and inhibition, and, by partaking in this, we take off a mask and are able to forget about our daily lives and release pressures. In this process, we become someone else, but maybe we also become more of ourselves. I search for moments where my subjects allow themselves to embrace this feeling of unbecoming and becoming – an exhalation of sorts.

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