What Was Lost to 2020

*Selection displayed at Hyatt Regency Downtown Soma, San Francisco

*Shown at the LensCulture Group Exhibition, May 20-22, 2022, Caelum Gallery, New York, New York

*Jurors Pick at the LensCulture Street Photography Awards 2021

*Best In Show at the Academy of Art University Spring Show 2021

I tried to compartmentalize and only take in a certain amount of news on the pandemic at a time, otherwise it could be too overwhelming. However, it seemed to unintentionally bleed into my art. What hadn't crossed my mind was how much was different even through the eyes of a camera, especially while walking the streets trying to shoot. It was obvious and tangible yet still very unspoken the things that were missing: cancelled flights, spaced out chairs to keep people apart, completely empty restaurants, malls, bars, and streets in general. It seemed clear to me that I couldn't pretend it wasn't there, and I couldn't selectively choose anything else to focus on. Thus, this idea to portray these things that have been lost and these things that we took for granted started to take shape. I wanted to highlight the shell of the lives we are living, the echoes of a past life that we never thought would change. In coming up with these themes, I found that reflection, shadow and form were very instrumental in my composition. I wanted to photograph many aspects of what I was feeling, and the outlines seemed to happen naturally. Ideas started to form about how reflections in glass, puddles, or our shadows can represent alternate universes. They came to be indicative of the lives we've left behind, from beach trips and rooftop parties, to domestic or international travel and public transportation.