My mother was the first person I ever photographed and I still take pictures of her obsessively. I started portraying her when I was fifteen, using my father’s old Canon camera. Gradually, in concentric circles, the subjects of my work expanded. From my mother to my father and brother, to the extended family, until, in recent years, the center shifted, at least partially, to my husband, Eran.
The camera was, in this sense, both a way to get close, and to break free. It was a testimony to independence as well as a new way to relate. A boundary, a distance, as well as the documentation of closeness. I could see my mother, my husband, my father, at once in a detached and a related way.
I can only say something universal about intimacy through actual intimacy. Mine. The actual real relationships I have with specific people. With these people that I love. The deepest I can reach is within what is most familiar and close.
Mother puts on my lipstick. 1993
Making the bed. 1996
Eran and I. 1998
My mother and I in a hotel room. 1998
Photographs and text: Elinor Carucci
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You just blew me away. I loved how you explain the feelings attached to photography, in particular with your family. Taking a portrait is definitely about creating a relationship and understanding something about the person. I look forward to more--so exciting!