Landfall

Landfall explores the importance of support networks and the natural environment in mental health. Having lived with multiple neurodiverse conditions since I was young, including depression and anxiety, I have learned that often my needs do not align with societal expectations. In creating portraits of individuals from my community and the places in which I seek solace and refuge, my photographic series highlights my lived experience navigating an uncertain world with invisible disabilities.

This work expresses the nuance of binaries, how mental health is not static. Our environments, living conditions, employment, and even the weather play a role. People have their own natural rhythms, and sometimes the demands of societal structures are rigid and unyielding, superseding their personal needs. While striving to always meet the expectations of others, we are at risk of failing ourselves and becoming more vulnerable to symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Landfall brings attention to conversations surrounding mental health by illustrating its continuous, cyclical presence and challenging conventional narratives about this universal human experience. My images represent the fluidity of nature contrasted by the rigidity of society to represent the balance of self. Through sharing my story I shift a solitude experience into one of connection. Now more than ever, we need to promote greater awareness of mental illness during these unprecedented times and reflect on the quiet politics of existing.

View the exhibition installed here: Shenkman Arts Centre, White Water Gallery

Thank you to Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for supporting this project.