Mayya Kelova - Forgiving
Forgiving is a return to traumatic memories and experience that I endured in my first romantic relationship more than a decade ago. Unprocessed, my trauma manifested in PTSD along with guilt and self-blame. By digitally manipulating images, I reshape and rework my archival materials to undo the simplified reality those photographs represent. And through the photographs of my body parts that often experience PTSD manifestations, I am restoring the connection between the events and the emotional upheaval. Being a spectator and a subject, I allow myself to look at the pain from an intimate distance to dissect the biggest challenge, which is to forgive myself. This project is a history of my own voice, from the moment I lost it to the process of regaining it.
