Somnophobia began in 2020; during the early days of the pandemic when months felt like decades but time seemed like it was flying by. The series reflects on how easily one can become trapped in their own mind.
There is a paradox in needing to rest and how sleep helps us process what happened during the day. Nightmares and dreams are just that: the subconscious organizing this information and making sense of it all. Sometimes sleep itself becomes more overwhelming than staying awake.
Much of the work in this series happens late at night in that in-between state, where dreams and reality can collide. This allows me to better push conscious thought to the side in order to tap into creativity and the unconscious. The series heavily focuses on identity, exile, and displacement
Portraits form the foundation of each piece but are digitally layered with photographs from my personal archive, which act as textures to create transparent collages. I shoot images, edit them digitally and start working on the collage/composition immediately. However, it can sometimes take months or sometimes years before finding the right elements to complete a shot. And I don’t plan; I shoot first, before knowing what will come of the image.
Ultimately, I hope the series relates to anyone that has had that sense of feeling adrift, disillusioned, hopeful, grateful, or isolated that we have all come to experience since the start of the pandemic. The series explores the tension between dreams and reality when norms break down and life becomes too chaotic or too mundane, forcing us to create our own little bubbles.
Untitled, Tel Aviv, 2021
Illusion, Tel Aviv, 2021 ft. Naomy Leguy
Dissociation, Tel Aviv, 2021 ft. Ishan Hill
Sleep paralysis, Tel Aviv, 2021
