Where the Light Bends

Born out of grief, rejection, and loss, this pilgrimage refuses to stay in the shadows. It emerges from the wreckage of pain with a fierce, defiant spirit. It does not apologize for the scars it wears, nor does it hide from the darkness. Instead, it confronts the rawest emotions—laying bare the unspoken spaces where transformation takes root.

Amidst the Afro-Caribbean communities of Cahuita, Costa Rica, race and identity are woven into the very fabric of everyday life. Historically marginalized and unseen in broader societal narratives, the people of Afro-Caribbean descent in this region of Talamanca have cultivated a rich cultural legacy that pulses through the rhythms of calypso music and oral traditions. Music, as both a form of resistance and celebration, offers a space for healing, where the spirit of the ancestors is felt in every note. This connection to rhythm is inseparable from the community’s relationship with the land—the lush jungles and the sea acting as a source of nourishment and refuge. Here, nature becomes not just a backdrop but an active participant in the community’s collective memory and healing. The bond between people, culture, and the environment underscores the resilience of a people who have been historically unseen yet remain deeply felt through the power of their traditions and their unbreakable relationship with the earth.

This body of work is a path of becoming, a reflection on the quiet spaces between light and shadow where transformation takes root. It speaks to the resilience found in moments of deep grief, rejection, and loss. At its core, it is a testament to the human spirit’s ability to bend without breaking, to navigate the labyrinth of sorrow and still emerge holding onto hope. Through the refracted light of experience, there is a recognition of the beauty in suffering, where fragility meets defiance, and survival becomes not just an act but an art form.

The exploration seeks to understand how the pain of being unseen, misunderstood, and displaced can become a force of creation. It acknowledges the complexities of identity, race, and belonging, particularly for those shaped by the ongoing currents of colonial history. The echoes of ancestors weave through the present, as each image reflects not only the struggle of an individual but a lineage of perseverance. There is a profound desire to understand what it means to find a home, not in geography but in spirit, even as the ground beneath one’s feet remains unsettled.

In this unfolding, there is no clear boundary between darkness and light, between trauma and healing. The two are entwined, much like the sea and sky meeting at the horizon—both infinite and elusive. It is in these moments, in the unspoken spaces, where life is most vividly felt. Here, we are invited to question what it means to hold onto joy, wonder, and creativity when fear and sadness persist, when the weight of memory becomes both a burden and a blessing.

This expression serves as an ode to the unsung moments of quiet resilience, where one learns to trust the process of bending, of adapting, and of finding grace in the most unexpected places. The passage through displacement, heartbreak, and loss becomes a meditation on how we rebuild ourselves, piece by piece, through connection, through love, and through art. It is a love letter to the forgotten and the misplaced, a testament to the power of community and the quiet, enduring strength of the human heart.

Within this narrative, the work holds space for untold stories of survival, of making beauty out of the jagged edges of life’s experiences. It honors the power in vulnerability, in the willingness to keep moving forward despite the heaviness of history, despite the wounds that remain tender. This is where we begin to find the light again, not as an endpoint but as a constant companion to our darker days.

In this reclamation of identity, the act of creating art in such a space becomes not just an expression, but a radical act of self-love—a declaration of presence, beauty, and power in the face of historical erasure.

Seen through a humanistic perspective, this exploration reflects how we adapt to our surroundings, how culture and memory shape the landscapes we inhabit, and how identity remains in flux—never static, always evolving. In the quiet bending of our spirits, we find that the line between survival and flourishing is as thin as the light that slips between the cracks. It is there, in those moments of transition, that we come to know ourselves fully—whole, broken, and endlessly becoming.

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This multimedia installation weaves together framed digital and analog black-and-white barita fiber prints captured with a Leica, Fuji FP-100 Polaroid scans from a Wista 4×5 camera, and a video installation recorded with an iPhone 12/13 Pro Max. The work reflects the intersection of personal and collective trauma, capturing moments from my life in Berlin, including recordings of a racist attack, while drawing connections to the natural landscapes of Costa Rica. Bridging these two worlds, the installation explores identity, resilience, and the complex narratives that arise from displacement and belonging.

Saturday 26th of October ’24
Cahuita, Limon,Costa Rica