My work explores the relationship between women and growth. The series, Pieces of a Woman, 2021, explores the idea that “pieces” of ourselves are taken away from us through our life, and in turn, we also are constantly adding “pieces” to ourselves. These growth moments are so crucial to one’s development as a person, especially as a woman. I chose to photograph women in my age bracket and those that I identify with. For the past couple of years, I have habitually written letters to my future self to read. These letters serve as reminders to myself of how far I’ve come and why I deserve to exist. In the studio, I asked each of my subjects to write a letter to themselves, reflecting on where they would ideally want to be in their future; the parts of themselves they would want to grow, “add” or remove. Visually, I take notice of central themes in each of their letters and collage different portraits from the session into one. The physical manipulation of the images represents those “pieces” taken away from us, but also the “pieces” we use to reform ourselves anew. To me, this is something we do every day and will continue to do for the rest of our lives. We are constantly building ourselves to be something better, and it is my purpose to visually manifest this through these portraits.
Sophia Dell'Arciprete 