…in our identities, and in our sense of self?

The journey began with my lens pointing outwards—seeking raw, layered, humanistic portrayals of my then new home of Bali. I was hunting for a nuanced depiction of such a complex place, something more than the pervasive and shallow Instagram exoticization of pristine beaches, and lush greeneries of rice paddies.

Most of my life had been spent moving between worlds—between cities, languages, values, and social constructs. Constantly striving to blend in among the millions of other souls existing, and all the pitter patter of commotions happening all around. Always feeling foreign, in a foreign land.

I still feel foreign, yet I’m now in my own land.

Between the unfolding rhythms of daily life, and the lulls of photogenic spectacles, this visual documentation started to shift grounds into an introspective self-exploration. Observing, listening, feeling outwards into the lives of a community, I start to note, question, poke myself from within. What does it take to feel at ease? Is it a tether to a physical place? An adherence to a set of rituals? Or is it an internal sense of being?

The camera stopped being a tool, and became a mirror, reflecting my search for my own identity, meaning, and connection. These images are snapshots of my surrounding environment and its people, yes—but they’re also portraits of my internal state of being, caught in the process of seeing and being seen, between returning, and becoming.