We are accustomed to presenting a portrait as an image of a person, but what if we created a portrait of a person without their physical presence in the frame? In this photo series, I wanted to show how personal objects lend unique character and atmosphere to a space, thereby forming a portrait of the person who exists within it.
In this work, I captured my friend’s personal belongings as they were left or typically remain on a daily basis. This creates a sense of stasis: we see a lived-in space, signs of inhabitation, the character of the objects, and the overall atmosphere, yet the resident is absent—only the traces of their presence remain. It is as if the viewer has walked into someone’s home they do not know, only to find them gone.
The shoot took place in a creative communal apartment. In such a space, it is fascinating to observe how coziness is created through personal belongings and the protagonist’s taste. I also wanted to examine objects outside of their original context, in a neutral setting. For this, I asked a friend for several of her personal, meaningful items and photographed them in the studio.
