Sijia Ma

Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA

I took a self-portrait in the swimming pool where I once drowned, the place where I once dieted, and the corner where I once dreamed. My ongoing series titled Rambling, documented my childhood experience of drowning, encompassed by nightmares and fear. I hope to unravel the contemporary mental health crises, diet culture, and social media isolations by re-situating myself in various settings. From droning, dieting, scanning, and alternatively dreaming, I regard those self-portraits as a process of searching through my identities. From frame to frame, I feel empowered as I sewed pieces of my personality to every Image I make. Through the process, I was able to confront my deepest fear and justifies its value.