︎Ilana Guaraca








To survive the past year, I’ve found solace in the reintroduction of me to me. Our days lacked personal connection, ran far from touch, leaving us in a desperate place of trying to survive, arm and arm with the process of relearning how to not feel so alone. I delved far into self portraiture this year. With the new distance and isolation that came with my familial bonds unraveling, I found my mind numbing as I sat day in and out in a room of muted memories and colors. I’d never given taking my own portrait a second thought, maybe the ingrained insecurities, maybe some fear of hating who I’ll see; but it’s given me a way to reach in and unfold the repressed memories I’ve held onto for far too long. Given me a way to visually document the words stuck in the ink of my notebooks I’ll never fully share. My project holds pieces of my past and my now, memories of those I’m losing and those I’ve lost. The unfamiliarity of it all, the excitement of turning it into art, retiring and letting it go.
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@ilanaguaraca