The age between 18 and 22 is particularly interesting to me. It is at this point in life when many people simultaneously exhibit child like qualities and qualities of their future adult selves. To try to capture this duality I spent a year photographing my youngest sister during her sophomore year of college in Gambier, Ohio.

As I became closer to my sister while making this body of work it became clear that she was going through a difficult time. Making this series of images then became a way to try to spend more time with her and an attempt to try to ease her pain. My sister has never been a very communicative person but by letting herself be photographed she is communicating something of herself to the outside world. I see these images as plot fragments that come together to tell the story of a period in a young woman’s life. I hope that this series will give some clues to her particular story while giving space to the viewer to create their own narrative.

 

© Annick Sjobakken 2024