Ana Backhaus turns loss into healing narrative at Xposure

In initiating her project, Backhaus aimed to provide her mother with hope during her battle with cancer, encouraging her to envision recovery while also creating a visual record to reflect upon in the future, capturing the essence of overcoming adversity.

In her conversation with “Sharjah 24,” Backhaus explained that the camera served as a filtering mechanism, allowing her to manage the overwhelming emotions associated with witnessing her mother's suffering by segmenting these feelings into smaller, more manageable components. Following her mother's passing, Backhaus continued her project as a means of processing grief, healing, and gradually releasing the intense emotions associated with loss.

In the course of her work, Backhaus emphasized the significance of self-portraiture as a profound expression of her pain, stating, "I am not okay, but I will be okay." Additionally, she noted that her journey toward healing was supported by her experience of motherhood and the bond with her son. She described her ability to reflect on past photographs as a means of extracting emotional depth from the experience of motherhood, suggesting that these images constitute more than mere snapshots; they serve as mirrors that reveal one's emotional landscape.