In 2015 at an obscure Long Island restaurant, I was introduced to a sister I didn’t know I had. At four years old she was relocated from South America to live with my father; she spoke no English and I spoke very little Spanish. Because of this, I found myself struggling to connect with her. As my longing to understand her and the situation I found myself in overwhelmed me, I turned to photography as a way to regain control and make sense of this new person in my life. The project began with anger and contempt placed on my sister at times. However it soon evolved into so much more.

This body of work as it exists in it’s current state has been a fortuitous collaboration between my sister and I because of her ability to quickly pick up English like only kids can; it allowed us to communicate in a way we didn’t have the luxury of doing before. Understanding my sister’s identity and what is shaping how she views herself in these formative years of her life became an important point of discussion for me and how I would continue to photograph her. Through her objects, colors and role-play, I attempt to document and conceive of my sister’s identity in relation to her surroundings. Themes such as gender conformities, cultural and familial dynamics as well as notions of the ‘home’ come to embody the work as my sister exists in her sphere of childhood ignorance. As I yearn for my sister to stay in her youthful bliss I ask myself, will my sister follow down the path prescribed to her or will she be free to forge her own existence unencumbered by cultural and familial constraints?

*This project is ever-changing and ongoing*