Ctrl+Z

Ctrl+Z Adolescence, Identity, and the Struggle of Becoming in a World at War After years of documenting communities worldwide, I turned my lens inward to my home. As a mother of teenagers, I began navigating a journey of love, uncertainty, pride, and vulnerability. When one of my children expressed a gender identity that challenged my assumptions, I was asked to grow alongside them. This became the catalyst for Ctrl+Z, a long-term documentary on Gen Z’s inner worlds. What began as a private reckoning evolved into an inquiry into a generation in flux - shaping identity in a hyper-connected yet unstable world. For many I photograph, this instability is also physical and political, marked by conflict and the threat of violence. Adolescence here carries its own language: fear, vigilance, and a longing for safety. Through my children, their friends, and ongoing photography and conversation, I explore how Gen Z navigates identity, gender, mental health, and transformation. Immersed in digital life, they blur the line between performance and authenticity. Yet Ctrl+Z is not only about technology - it is about resilience, vulnerability, and honesty. Gen Z resists fixed definitions, rejects binaries, and speaks openly about mental health, even as they grow up under crisis and, in Israel, are expected to do mandatory military service. Here, identity becomes an anchor. Ctrl+Z is both their coming-of-age story and my own - a witness to a generation finding its voice as I unlearn and make space for new truths. -> A short audio-visual piece accompanies the project, featuring the teenagers’ voices and their handwritten words, and can be viewed here (Sound On): https://youtu.be/_EWL61TlZ0Y