"Trapped In The Life"

I created this project to illustrate different things that lay claim on our lives. I. today's modern times, we put things on a pedestal that aren't healthy for us or because society tells us we need them to survive, which is what the items symbolize. The barbed wire comes from Jesus wearing a crown of thorns, which was originally supposed to mock his "claim" as king, within this project its wrapped about the objects because they lay claim to our lives.

Zoe Anita Mendoza is a portrait and street photographer who is currently studying photography at Texas State University.  Mendoza utilizes her art to illustrate different people, emotions, and moments so others can see different perspectives from a unique place and time. She aims to impact people with her art by having them experience things they wouldn't normally and giving them the possibility to perceive it in physical or digital form.

This body of work exhibits grief through the artist's eyes. Absence is a digitally printed work consisting of photographs depicting a subject feeling the overwhelming weight of loss. Each piece of work will illustrate what grief feels like to the artist and the experiences she has gone through; a point in time where the sadness was so overwhelming that a photography project was created from it. Grief is a part of everyone's lives, but not everyone experiences it in the same way because it’s something that is universally felt but also misunderstood by those around them. The purpose of this project is to bring attention to the depth of grief within a person.

Absence is a work illustrating a deep feeling in a physical way. This photography project was created to convey to others they are not alone; everyone endures sorrow and anguish over missing loved ones. Grief is an impactful experience during any stage of life, but it is not something to be ashamed of. Grief should be celebrated as it is a product of love, loss, and memories and Absence is that exact celebration.