A surreal exploration of identity and resilience, inspired by the vivid colors of Heiji Monogatari Emaki, capturing the flames of Sanjo Palace and the detailed style of Onna-e painting. Along Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting.

In this self-portrait, I step into the space between past and future, where light sculpts memory and shadow holds the unknown. Created using long exposure and light painting, this surrealist image reflects themes of duality, perception, and time—one silhouette looking back, the other stepping forward. Inspired by Hildegard of Bingen’s visionary art and the paranoiac-critical method of Salvador Dalí, I used a mix of flash, handheld torches, and a graduated pink filter to shape an otherworldly atmosphere. The Mini Diana camera symbolizes the act of seeing and being seen, while a dried leaf—a signature of my permaculture ethos—grounds the image in the beauty of decay and renewal. In a world enamored with progress, this piece questions whether we are truly moving forward or simply retracing our steps in a different light