My photographs from Spain live at the intersection of symbol and story. Over the course of my travels, I collected forty-two postcards—not as souvenirs, but as fragments of a larger narrative about how places are represented, remembered, and reduced. Alongside flags, photos, and even Burrito, my oversized stuffed bull, these postcards become both artifacts and questions: who decides which images come to stand for an entire country? What myths are kept alive through repetition on glossy cardstock?
Photography, like postcards, is never neutral. It chooses, frames, and freezes. My images push against the reduction of Spain—or any place—into consumable icons, challenging the ways symbols are assigned power. Just as I overheard children in Toledo confidently narrating Latin America as “only drug dealers,” though they had never been, I wonder: which stories are told on our behalf, and which stories are silenced?
In these photos, I attempt to take the photos my postcards failed at preserving—showcasing, of course, the missed shots at the sites, but also the beauty in the everyday.
Beyond the facade of Community, Integrity, and Growth that adorns many high school walls, a clandestine realm unfolds at high schools across the country, shrouded in drugs, gambling, vandalism, and scandal—confidentially managed by honor boards and principals alike in a supposedly “fair” and “restorative” manner. We move through our routine, turning a blind eye to whispers, trusting that justice prevails and community members adhere to an unwavering standard. Yet, as rumors reach a tipping point, doubt surfaces, prompting a profound questioning of reality. My work challenges the prevailing narrative of high school student life, revealing the unseen undercurrents beneath the touted values. Through this visual dialogue, I aim to spark contemplation on the true nature of rule and the law, fostering discourse on the kind of individuals we aspire to be. The series lays bare the frustration of many high school students regarding the state of our justice system both within the classroom and outside, inviting viewers to scrutinize the delicate balance between perception and reality and ponder the authenticity of the portrayed picture.
No need to contact me… unless you’re offering a job 🙂
