Series - FotoSlovo 2026 - Category « Experimental photography »

Mother is an underwater analog series that examines the dual nature of inheritance: the intimate legacy passed down to my daughter and the historical weight of the photographic medium. Working alongside my daughter, the project observes the unspoken transfer of legacy: our physical similarities and her innate confidence within the ocean. The water functions as both a medium and a stage, serving as a metaphor for the maternal bond: fiercely protective yet utterly consuming.

Parallel to this familial lineage is the inheritance of the medium. The series is shot on a reclaimed, broken Nikonos II, one of the earliest commercial underwater cameras. With this object, I inherited the foundational history of underwater photography: a tradition prioritising mechanical perfection, conquest, and an idealised, objective gaze.

Mother consciously transforms this legacy. By embracing the camera’s mechanical flaws, chaotic light leaks, and the ocean's corrosive marks on the film, the traditional gaze is dismantled. The physical degradation of the negatives becomes a visceral metaphor for the unspoken struggle of mothering: the quiet, disorienting process of losing myself to make space for my daughter. It reflects a reality that is imperfect, messy, and deeply transformative. By surrendering to this “unbecoming,” the series proposes a new feminine perspective grounded in empathy, haunting the histories we inherit while actively rewriting the myths we leave behind.