‘A study in self’ is a compilation of self-portraits and an exploration of emotions while making a visceral attempt to understand the self through visuals. The leading hands and legs mirror the emotional state or vulnerability through gestures, instead of it being directly seen through the face, eyes or any defined expression. This series explores a thought that, feelings or emotions of an individual can be known through any gesture the individual makes and it is not always necessary to look them in the eye to understand a person. Exploring different sentiments experienced like, longing, coping with misery, holding onto hope, drifting and sometimes even finding strength in just existing, these were created when I found myself slowly coming out of mental trauma and was able to better understand the phases of struggling with anxiety and depression. It only felt natural to weave these emotions into visuals.
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Text and Photos by Surabhi Manisha.
