With this project, I aimed to explore the relationship between the self and self-image, through a portrait series using collages of my family’s faces made by the family members themselves. The project consists of traditional portraits, photographs of the work that went into the collages, and the collage self-portraits.
In the traditional portraits, the subject is shown how they appear to the world. In working, their actions and how they go about putting themselves together paints a portrait of their personalities. Finally, the collage reflects not how they see themselves in a mirror, but how they would create themselves. For my sister, it’s with attitude, for my brother, every facial feature he can name. My mother specifically gave herself her “mom face,” and my father made sure to include that winning smile. In my own self-reflection, each part looking nice individually, regardless of how they looked together was enough for me to call it my face.