The works presented in Anatomies of Melancholy explore the residual affects of pain and trauma through photography. By combining personal stories with documentary photography this body of work conveys a tension between the (in)visibility of pain and the need to speak*. Through the process of spending time with individuals and discussing their personal trauma while making photographs, I hope to acknowledge and even conserve the pain of others. Though the images do not include a narrative of the subjects\u27 pain, they are able to communicate and begin a visual discourse. The raw and emotive images become a platform for the viewer to empathize with the pain of others or understand their own pain. I am interested in a photograph\u27s power to console, articulate and offer a map of our experiences. Anatomies of Melancholy questions the stigmatization of pain by serving as a reminder that it is a human condition, felt by all.
*Reinhardt, Mark, Holly Edwards and Erina Dugganne. Beautiful Suffering: Photography and the Traffic in Pain, 11
