Here and Home (2025) is a photographic installation that challenges how viewers engage with photography, drawing from Ariella Azoulay’s Civil Contract of Photography and the concept of "image fatigue." By transforming an 8-foot print into a layered, immersive experience, I physically deconstructed the image to alter perception. Taken in a field in Merced, CA, the photograph features a striking blue structure that symbolizes the feeling of returning home, only to leave again for the unfamiliar city. To create a sense of space and distance, I cut triangular and pentagonal fragments of the Central Valley mountains from the image and arranged them on the wall, mirroring my own detachment from home.

The wooden frame, resembling San Francisco’s architecture, reinforces the tension between these two worlds the vast openness of the Central Valley and the rigid structures of urban life. This installation is deeply personal, reflecting my longing for a place where I feel seen and understood, while highlighting the isolation I experience in the city. By incorporating hay from the original site into the space, I bring a tangible piece of home into the gallery, making the Central Valley present even within an unfamiliar environment.

Through this artwork, I explore distance beyond physical separation, delving into emotion, identity, and belonging, and inviting viewers to reflect on their own experiences of place and displacement.