what will come, 2024

The inhospitability of this mineral world, with its inorganic

growths, is relieved only by the balloons flying in the clear sky

“Fossilized future”

Behave yourself on the way, and do not leave the path, or you might fall down and break the glass (1)

All that is left of the time-machines which these people used to escape from their planet? (2)

In this forest of carcinogenic trees and broken machines, I am both Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf, the observer and the observed. I search for signs in the darkness, knowing that it is about waiting for the imminent danger, unspoken but still out there” As I continue my journey, I realize that my wanderings might be a personal  reflection of collective fears – of illness, of environmental collapse, of wars in the neighbouring countries. In fact, we move from one crisis to another – both internationally and within individual societies and communities. In the end, this forest – with its cancer-whispering flora, stuffed owls and decaying machines – is a manifestation of common anxiety. And I, with my red lamp, am both lost in its depths and oddly at home.

The trees seem to whisper warnings of cellular rebellion, of bodies turning against themselves. Behind me, I sense a presence, “as if in a mirror, a fossilised version of myself, fashioned from archaic red coral”(2). It’s a reminder of the future that may await – frozen in time, trapped by diagnosis or disaster.

The project captures the essence of waiting – not with loud proclamations, but in a hushed, expectant silence. It’s a meditation on the space between knowing and not knowing. Like the balloons flying in J.G Ballard’s sky, there’s a sense of detachment from the inhospitable world below. Yet, the weight of future remains ever-present, felt “in the bones, in the air, in the woods.” . Amidst this constant flux and unpredictability, we wander.

In “What Will Come,” I took inspiration from J.G. Ballard’s fragmented narrative style. The condensed novels structure of “The Atrocity Exhibition” influenced my approach to creating a series of interconnected yet standalone images.

It is my exploration of resilience. As I stand in these dark woods, red lamp above my head. I’m searching not for answers, but for the strength to face whatever may come – be it personal health challenges or global upheavals. In this forest of fear and uncertainty, I continue to search for light, for human touch and for the path that will lead me home.

_{(1) Little Red Riding Hood, Grimms Fairy Tales}

_{(2) The Atrocity Exhibition, J.G. Ballard}