Throughout childhood the intrinsic notion of a father is a patriarch who is infallible, unflinching, and all knowing. From our fathers, it is expected that we be inculcated right from wrong. From them, we are taught how to be strong and persevere through all of life’s great challenges.
Amidst adolescence, there comes a point at which the perception of a parent transitions from unsurpassable being to mere mortal. Inevitably, embarking on adulthood, I have learned to acknowledge and accept the fact that parents are not invariably devoid of flaw and fault. They can be fragile, experience weakness, and feel very alone.
This work is a study of the shift in my father’s life after divorce. The series consists of staged representations of aspects of his life that I am not a part of. Set in his day to day spaces, including a small hotel room, I am challenging myself, as well as the viewer, to examine the clandestine moments of isolation and anguish, as well as experience the empathy that a child can feel for a parent.
