Hold Me Tight examines the tension between memory and identity, exploring the emotional complexity of aging through constructed self-portraits. This series captures an imagined dialogue between past and present, revealing the subtle interplay of longing, nostalgia, and self-reconciliation.

Rooted in personal experience, Hold Me Tight emerged as a response to the complexities of middle age—pride in who I had become alongside an uneasy awareness of what had been left behind. Approaching forty, I began to confront these realities, creating a visual meditation on the impermanence of youth and an evolving sense of identity.

The images depict two versions of myself—my younger and current selves—brought together through compositing techniques to create poignant exchanges. These figures occupy shared spaces that oscillate between connection and distance, embodying the simultaneous desire to hold onto and let go of what has passed. The solitary compositions evoke the ephemeral spirit of youth while grappling with the unease of its absence.