ENTRY DESCRIPTION
The image is from the on-going project "gray wall" that explores the struggle between individuality and conformity, using self-portraits inspired by my personal experiences. Growing up in Cyprus, I felt like an outsider, striving to meet others’ expectations. After moving to the U.S., I repeated the same process, attempting to abandon my Greek identity to assimilate. Nearing 50, I realized this battle to suppress my true self was futile. The desire to fit in fosters self-loathing, leading to regret over wasted time pretending to be someone else.
Shot entirely on my balcony using natural light, the project began during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Originally envisioned as a public performance, the constraints of the pandemic turned my balcony into a semi-public stage. Over two years, I refined the concept and began formally shooting in Spring 2022. The balcony became a ritual space where I documented Miami’s distinct lighting, which shifts from soft to harsh, mirroring the internal conflict of conformity.
The series begins with a Miami wall image, grounding the location. The next image features the model in a perfectly ironed white shirt, symbolizing daily routine and societal expectations. Clothing masks individuality, while the black mask represents the darker consequences of conformity, including attempts at physical transformation. Digitally manipulated shirt distortions parallel such artificial changes. Yet, no external alteration erases inner essence, leaving unresolved scars.
This struggle fosters a desire to become as featureless as a white wall—dimensionless and devoid of identity. Over time, the wall turns gray—imperfect and disappointing. The current image portraits this transition to the gray.
AUTHOR
Yiorgos Michael is a self-taught visual artist and poet based in both Miami and Cyprus. He was born and raised in Cyprus and moved to the U.S. for his graduate studies. His work consists of photographic essays inspired by personal experiences and deal with themes like aging, identity, and social norms. These narratives fuse deliberately captured images with moments of serendipity, allowing unexpected elements to enhance the storytelling with surprise and discovery. This blend of intentional and spontaneous imagery juxtaposes the representational with the abstract, and the real with the mythical. The result is a compelling tension between ambiguity and clarity, drawing viewers into a deeper engagement with each narrative. The tension between the real and surreal is palpable in his poetry, where again personal experiences are woven into themes of aging, loneliness, loss, love, and hope. A distinctive feature of his work is the interplay between Greek, his native language, and English, adding layers of richness and complexity to his themes.
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