Philia (friendship in Greek) is a photographic series that explores friendships of gender minorities.

For many women, these relationships are a refuge of deep emotional connection and mutual understanding. We find ourselves and our identities through the intimate moments with those we trust. This series acts as a reflection of how women find strength in each other, an emancipation of the expectations to centre men in the lives of gender minorities. I focus on representing a psychological bond and empathetic gesture through encounters between the characters.

My process for Philia is based on mutual vulnerability and trust with the people I photograph. I am fully emotionally engaged, and the camera is a meeting point to convey the emotional bond and closeness. When I presented this project, the models immediately related through immediate recognition and empathy. Their trust to capture their image feels like an honour I want to convey in the careful act of photographing.

The surrealist imagery and lack of background applied allow the figures to blend and dissolve into each other. On some of the images, they emerge from the darkness to focus on the emotional and physical language. This timelessness behind the subjects allows for the continuity of this strength throughout history. The everlasting nature of friendship at its core.

Through the use of black and white photography, I create a timeless space that immerses the viewer within a space of intimacy, affection and shared experience among gender minorities.