I recently turned 40 which marks the start to middle age. Crossing this milestone stirred complex feelings. I’m scared at the thought of growing older, proud of the woman I’ve become, and sad at the loss of the girl whose experience got me here. I’m in a state of nostalgic reverie, idealizing my younger days. Those days have slipped away and I’m not ready to let them go. I can’t shake the uneasy feeling of knowing that half of my life is behind me. I started this project to cope with the loss of my youth. Both females in the images are me. I photographed myself multiple times and then stitched the images together to create an exchange between past and present. The scenes I create through this process conjure memories of my younger days. I’m giving myself a space to play and re-experience that ephemeral spirit of youth. I portray both versions of myself the same to express the idea that it is my present self revisiting a memory. Embracing my former self, I try to hold onto the feeling of her.

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About
Chrissy Lush is an artist from New York. She earned her BFA in Photography from SUNY Purchase and her MFA in Photography from Parsons The New School. She attended Arteles Creative Residency in Haukijärvi, Finland in 2014. Her work has been shown both nationally and internationally at Lyceum Theatre Gallery, Photo Place Gallery, Soho Photo Gallery, Cuchifritos Gallery, PH21 Gallery, Space Between Gallery, Orchard Gallery and Lacda. She received the first place award in the abstract category for her image Smear in the Professional Women Photographers Organization’s 35th Anniversary Show.

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