Morihei Ueshiba held the belief that each person contains an entire universe. Through my experience interacting with people all over the world, I have interpreted this to discover that our freckles and moles point to uncharted constellations and hidden galaxies. These photographs are a meditation on inner and outer space, as well as an adventure into the infinite realm of human existence within this mysterious, ever-expanding universe.
This photographic series is an exploration of the intricate patterns that are woven into all of creation, especially those that overlap and combine the human sphere with the natural world. It began as an exploration of the human body as a canvas, integrating the languages of visual studies and photography with scientific concepts of neuroscience, astronomy, and human anatomy.
Inspired by Carl Sagan’s idea that “we are all made of stardust,†my photographs aspire to express this sense of unity and peace with one another by painting star patterns directly onto the body that originate from the freckles and marks that already exist on each individual person. The resulting photographs appear as glimpses of night skies and scattered star clusters, hinting at hidden universes within and delicately unveiling the essence and individuality of each and every person that comes before my lens.
These portraits are a meditation on inner and outer space, as well as an adventure into the infinite realm of human existence within this mysterious, ever-expanding universe. The beauty of our existence lies just as much in self-exploration and introspection as in expanding and discovering the outside world. My experiences as an artist interacting with people all over the world have led me to recognize this beauty as a unifying characteristic of all members of the human race.