This series is a reinterpretation of standard portraits I have taken of my mother. The original countenance shines through as one of happiness and peace although drastically affected by the composition. This work is a meditation into the perceived meaning behind that smile. Projections are implemented onto a fleshy surface to give the illusion that only pieces remain, effectively tearing apart and reassembling the face.

This work acts as a therapeutic exercise for my own issues with my mother. There is a perceived emptiness that these photos imply, pointing towards the general role or duty that the position of mother may have become in my own eyes. On a broader sense, it is a view of the conflict seen between traditional family identities and structures deeply inherent in my Polish heritage and my own contemporary views.