TITLE: Torn

Created from analogue landscape prints and some new and older self-portrait prints, I began creating this series of diptychs "Torn" shortly after the start of the Ukrainian war. These images are a representation of my own emotional reactions to the unfolding events because of family connections and family history tied to Ukraine, my family history with WW2 and the overall effects that this war will have and could have on Europe and the rest of the world.

As much as these images express my own emotions, they are also a general representation of the unimaginable pain and suffering of the Ukrainian population: torn apart, misplaced, sheltered underground, and buried.
And yet, among all the suffering you can find and see signs of immense strength and resilience as well as glimmers of beauty and hope.

These prints were torn apart and put back together, then rephotographed after adding natural elements like dust, dirt or water drops to increase the narrative.

These are 8 images out of 18.

AUTHOR: Manuela Thames (United States)

I am a fine art photographer residing in Saint Paul, Minnesota with my husband and two children. Originally from Germany, I moved to the US in 2004 when I married my husband, who is American. My background is in nursing, but around 2008 I began to focus solely on photography after two life-changing events happened within a year, the death of my brother and the birth of my son.
My work consists largely of self-portraits as I aim to explore the brokenness of humanity, the struggles of loss and grief, my personal experiences with generational trauma, mental health and the consequences of control, abuse and manipulation.
Within that I continue to explore the human ability of coping, the strength as a result of suffering and our common desire for healing and journey towards wholeness.

My photography has been described as contemplative, evocative, dark and cinematic and has been published in numerous photographic journals and magazines and has been exhibited both nationally and internationally.