The photograph — as a representation of time and subject — constantly reminds me of the moment when the shutter was pressed, and the fact that the moment depicted has already passed. The relationship portrayed may have changed; the photographed people may be gone; the documented place may be far away.
Motivated to emphasize nostalgia and a longing for an idealized illusion of the past, I create scenes that visualize the emotions and conflicts associated with the loss of certain people and days.
I print my photographs to life-size scale, and use them to build believable spaces. Then I photograph myself posing in front of these prints, interacting with the people depicted in the prints, as if I am re-living that moment, or living in that relationship again, or doing something that I wish I had done.
However, while I am constructing these images, the visual flaws and cracks keep showing and breaking the illusion.
In this unrealized gesture, a sense of loss, a growing distance and a genuine desire are all captured the moment when I photograph myself interacting with the illusion.
— Jiayue Yu
This project is a winner of the LensCulture Critics’ Choice Awards 2022. Be sure to discover many other inspiring projects on the winners’ page.