julia howe, Chronic (PEOPLE 2021)

This photograph's concept revolves around how people perceive pain and hidden illnesses and treat those suffering given it is so often invisible to the naked eye. I intend to take a step in breaking these perceptions by providing a visual representation of how these hidden illnesses feel. Exploring the different ways to describe pain and investigating ways to metaphorically illustrate them through portraiture using various symbolism. For example, pain can be piercing, and this is represented by barbed wire coiled around a subject’s limbs.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.