And the shape of things disappeared for a while
What is our relationship with death in today’s society and why do we often see it as a failure? Following the death of her father, photographer Joana Dionisio created a series of images, challenging the limitations of human existence and how we deal with our mortality.
Text and Photography Joana Dionisio
How man relates to death has been changing over time. If in the Middle Ages human finitude was experienced with familiarity, in the 20th century it became a kind of ´non-event´. In a society marked by the desire to prolong youth to infinity, the representation of the end of a life cycle is seen as a failure and therefore should be avoided. However, if we cannot set the limits of our own life, how can we connect to it and to ourselves?
“This project resulted from the opposition of feelings that arose after my father’s death and that forced me to think about the limitations of human existence.”
This project resulted from the opposition of feelings that arose after my father’s death and that forced me to think about the limitations of human existence. It seeks to reflect on how we deal with the loss of someone close to us, and with the perception of our finitude.
Considering that these concepts are materialised using a practice that immortalises life by its representation, what does it mean for photography to portray the absence of its reference, and what is the role of photography in the experiences of mourning?
“In a society marked by the desire to prolong youth to infinity, the representation of the end of a life cycle is seen as a failure and therefore should be avoided.”
Through a narrative between opposing and complementary forces, between what is present and what is absent, reality and fiction, between here and there, there is a broader vision of our sense of being. Perhaps, somewhere between the fluctuation of becoming aware of our own mortality and the desire to be immortal we can find an opportunity to live deeply.
About Joana
Joana Dionisio is a visual artist from Portugal, graduated in Product Design and in Audiovisual Communication Technologies. In 2021 she completed the Master in Artistic Photography at IPCI. After finishing her degree, Joana worked for nearly 4 years at Farfetch as a photographer and she is currently working within the area of photography as a freelancer while continuing to develop her personal projects.
She has already exhibited her work in individual and group exhibitions, at Encontros da Imagem, CPF, Palácio das Artes, Bienal de Cerveira, Vieira da Silva Gallery, PB27 Gallery, Amarante fest, among others. Her video “Lady perfection” was nominated for best director of author films at the Porto Fashion Film Festival and recently she was finalist at the Bienal Jovem de Loures competition, was selected for the portfolio reviews with Jim Goldberg and Alessandra Sanguinetti, was selected for the FRESH EYES book as an emerging European Photography Talent by GUP Magazine and participated in the publication of the book “Rostos da Maré”.
Her work is characterised by a strong autobiographical strand, that explores themes such as identity, family and memory, reflecting on how human beings relate to themselves and to the world.
To see more of her work, visit her website or follow her on Instagram
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