“Facing Reality” is a series of photographs that depict the tension and tribulations of the divorce a sibling of mine underwent which occurred alongside our parents divorce while my other sibling continued building her family of four. This period of time lasted from 2014 through 2019. While making these images, I found it too difficult to edit through them, so I decided to wait until a point that I’d processed the events which happened in 2020. These images are a direct continuation of my previous series “Performing Reality” (2012-2014).

While “Performing Reality” brought to light the performative roles that my family and I fell into, and by proxy, certain consequences we each faced because of those expectations, “Facing Reality” tells the story of how each of us blossomed into our truths. Being Jewish, there is a level of expectation that is set onto us from a familial perspective which tackles tradition, heritage, and preservation. After thousands of years of persecution and near extinction, the affect of continuing on a Jewish path that has historically been expected of a religious family is particularly heightened. Straying away from that path is not often looked at as desirable in our culture, to put it lightly.

The juxtapositions of the family photographs coupled with landscapes, and found images help articulate the emotional depth and shifts in our familial dynamic during this period. I believe that our story sheds light on the power of resilience and that choosing a path that is harder, is more often than not, the path that will lead to exceptional happiness; something our ancestors would attest to if they could.