"An emotional terrain shaped by grief, complexity, and family tensions is visualised in a story marked by loss, substance abuse, and resilience."
Artist: Sunniva Hestenes
Project: A Tear For Someone Undeserving
"A Tear for Someone Undeserving was prompted by the sudden death of the artist's mother and invites us on an introspective visual journey through a combination of new works and archival photos from Hestenes' childhood. With this photographic project, Hestenes explores their own intricate family relationships and emotional landscapes. Each image serves as a reminder of the journey towards acceptance in Hestenes' struggle with the complexity of grief. The pictures foretell the tragedy, document funeral rituals, and provide glimpses into a relationship that will forever remain stagnant."
"At the heart of the narrative lies a series of archive photos, where the innocence in the child's gaze serves as a testament to the passage of time. Particularly noteworthy is a photograph of the child's mother, captured in a moment of vulnerable intoxication. The images encapsulate complex feelings of the heavy responsibility of being a caregiver for a challenged parent. In this context, the camera lens becomes a tool through which Hestenes navigates the intricacies of family dynamics.
A Tear for Someone Undeserving serves as a visual exploration of the complex web of relationships that make up family bonds and illustrates the symbolic resonance that images carry long after they were taken. Through Hestenes' subtle lens, an emotional terrain shaped by grief, complexity, and family tensions is visualised in a story marked by loss, substance abuse, and resilience."
© Sunniva Hestenes