I have had a love affair with photography on and off for a very long time. It was a passion of mine in the nineties, when everything was still analogue. I used to spend hours and hours in the darkroom, printing my b&w photographs, experimenting with all the different papers, which all had their own temperament and personality, just watching the magic happen. Then the advent of digital photography and changes in personal circumstances moved my focus away from photography. When I discovered collage during the pandemic, it was almost a lightbulb moment: I could get my hands dirty again and go back to my forgotten archive of black and white prints and bring them back to life. I still felt a strong emotional connection to them as, after all, they represented my personal journey and although as you get older outlooks and perceptions may shift, I am still drawn to that slightly darker side of life to which b&w photography lends itself so well. Of course I also incorporate more recent photography and colour images, but my heart lies with all the shades of black and white, which for me better express the fragility and uncertainty of human existence, with its baggage of emotional struggles.
