After faith

summer 2024 was a season of transformation for me. i rebuilt my belief system piece by piece through different spiritual and religious practices including church worship, shamanic rituals, and buddhist meditation.

coming from an atheist background and grappling with mental health challenges for years, i began searching for faith—a feeling of softness, a trust that you will be gently—or even harshly—held, no matter what happens. <here> are some notes from the process.

drawing on fragments from the real religious spaces I have practiced in, i construct a quiet, mysterious inner space that filters out external noise. the space mirrors the chosen solitude of a solitary search for awakening, even within vibrant communities, like siddhartha’s journey toward enlightenment.

inspired by photographs not taken, a collection of artists’ reflections on moments left unrecorded, this series also examines the interplay between memory and absence. i did not photograph pivotal moments such as a surreal baptism behind mirrored cabinets in a mormon church, the uplifting hymns and dancing in a black baptist church, or the intensity of a set of shamanic ceremonies due to societal conventions and prohibitions. these absences, however, became essential elements of the story, as the project seeks to show not only what is visible but also what is experienced, felt, and remembered.