Back to the Roots – Conceptual Photography / Selfportrait

Back to the Roots – Conceptual Photography / Selfportrait

Introduction:
Being rooted. This work, awarded by the Cultural Forum of Lower Austria, depicts the inextricable link between human and origin. Roots grow from the body, connecting with the earth. It is a visualization of home, but also of being bound.

Artist Statement:

Ouroboros—the serpent that devours itself until the end of time – is the emblem of our being.
Our lives, often marked by consumption, greed, and envy, are far more than that.
An awareness of our own transience becomes the soil for something greater: something primal that has always been and will remain when the last of us has turned to dust.

Over a lifetime it’s easy to lose touch with nature and with oneself. In our culture, speed is a commandment: new, better, faster. We get entangled in norms and forget what truly matters. Broken and burned out, we often realise too late what is essential.

I myself experienced burnout and depression. The more time I spent with nature, the more easily I found my way back to my origin, my innermost self. This deep bond with the natural world grounded me, eased my fears, and revealed an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
The way back to myself also led me closer to others – and to the ever-beating heart of this world: a tightly woven bond that cannot be undone.

Concept:
Back to the Roots questions identity through geography. Are we at home where we are, or where our roots lie? The digital fusion of human anatomy and plant structures (root systems) symbolizes this symbiosis. It is a return to origin, which can signify both security and immobility.

Medium: Fine Art Photography, Digital Composing

Award: Recognition Prize, Cultural Forum Lower Austria 2024

Year: 2024