I’M NOT GHOST, 2024

I’m Not a Ghost is a conceptual photographic series created in collaboration with the nonbinary artist and glassmaker Aullar Mateo. The images portray Aullar’s nude form enveloped in translucent synthetic material, evoking a journey from confinement to liberation. Through soft lighting and pastel tones, the series explores identity, self-acceptance, and transformation, using the body as both subject and metaphor.

The project grew out of deep conversations with Aullar about embracing one’s truth—an experience that resonated deeply for both of us. Our shared connection to glassmaking became a natural entry point for collaboration; its fragile yet strong, rigid yet malleable nature mirrors the complexities of self-discovery. The glassmaking community gave us both a sense of belonging and reinforced our bond.

Aullar spoke of seeing their body as a home—and of the tension between external expectations and personal truth. In the past, they had felt like a ghost: unseen, disconnected. Their words became the foundation of this series, which reclaims visibility through the act of creation. Just as glass requires both force and care to take shape, I’m Not a Ghost reflects the ongoing struggle—and power—of claiming one’s space.

During the photo session, we worked in complete synchrony, responding to each other’s movements and emotions. What began as a structured concept quickly evolved into something more instinctive, shaped by trust and shared energy.

The seven photographs unfold like frames from a short film, tracing a movement from stillness to assertion. Pressed between skin and plastic, their presence grows quietly—until it insists on being seen.

In a time when identity and self-expression are increasingly politicized, I’m Not a Ghost stands as a testament to the necessity of recognition and agency. When people from different backgrounds come together to create, to listen, and to share experience, transformation becomes possible—not just on a personal level, but within the culture at large. By embracing others’ differences, we open ourselves to revealing our own, enriching life with greater authenticity and connection.