Burden

“Burden” is a conceptual photography series that explores the pressure that comes with existence. In this series, I used my own silhouette—sliced in half—and placed it in various urban environments to evoke the sensation of being gradually submerged by external forces, much like the weight on your shoulders slowly burying you in the ground. After setting the cutout in place, I illuminated it with a beam of flashlight and captured the scene. The contrast between light and shadow, along with an overexposed effect, creates an overwhelming visual tension: on the one hand, a brightness that nearly overwhelms everything; on the other, an intense, underwhelming force emanating from the darkness. These dual elements interweave within me, evoking a deep sense of confusion and a feeling of being blinded by the inescapable pressures of life.

For me, the significance of this series extends far beyond the final images—it lies in the process of capturing them. To embody that oppressive feeling, I deliberately chose extremely dark settings, with only sparse streetlights offering faint, reassuring glimmers. Standing alone in these environments—where a comforting light might appear only every five minutes—the isolation and pervasive darkness filled me with fear throughout the entire shoot. Yet it was within this fear that my thoughts became clear—perhaps merely driven by my survival instincts. Over time, I gradually realized that when faced with doubts and uncertainties that defy immediate resolution, the true answer isn’t found in instantly dispelling the confusion but in learning to embrace the unknown. By venturing into the most bewildering corners and breathing in the nearly suffocating air, I discovered that it is in those moments of relinquishing all resistance that I can truly confront the weight of existence and, through enduring that heaviness, rediscover my own direction.