Kathryn
Rodrigues

Homesick (2020-present)

The series "Homesick" examines the contrast between my transient, international childhood and current life in the suburbs, as well as the emotional connections we form with our domestic spaces. While reckoning with putting down roots for the first time, I have also struggled with the isolation of caregiving.

In this series of self-portraits, I physically connect with the landscape and objects, using gestures inspired by contemporary dance as a way to transcend and be in relationship with my surroundings. The photographs represent the range of emotions present as I wander through the space, from dark humor and absurdity to yearning and hopefulness. I choose to only show fragments of my body in each image to retain autonomy and control over what is hidden and what is revealed and to have the viewer serve as a witness to the deep exploration, care, and attention I am giving the environment. These images capture the dichotomy of my liminal moments of freedom outdoors while also remaining restricted to our property. Moments I spent alone but also in plain sight of my children and neighbors, using my body as a cartographic tool for delineating and transgressing edges and boundaries, longing for connection but also for the security of separation.