[ MIROR ]
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[ MIROR ] is a founding act of two identities building themselves in the reflection of each other.
For nearly a year and a half, I photographed my friend Adam’s gender transition. At first, I thought I was documenting a physical evolution. Over time, I realized it was so much more than that.
When we started, I had never held a camera in my life. At the same time, I was going through a deep period of personal questioning, marked by an hospitalization and a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder.
Back then, we were two people in a process of becoming...
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ARTISTIC APPROACH
[ MIROR ] is a combination of three pictures I made of my friend Adam during his transition in 2021-2022.
The first photograph was taken the day before his first hormone injection, the second one month after his mastectomy, and the third a year later. I edited them metaphorically, as a process of revelation — much like developing a roll of film in a darkroom, where the image gradually emerges in the bath.
The editing of the images symbolizes this process of Adam’s evolution, progressively revealing his identity and personality across the three photographs. A gradual transformation, both visible and intimate.
[ MIROR ] is a founding act of two identities building themselves in the reflection of each other.
For nearly a year and a half, I photographed my friend Adam’s gender transition. At first, I thought I was documenting a physical evolution. Over time, I realized it was so much more than that.
When we started, I had never held a camera in my life. At the same time, I was going through a deep period of personal questioning, marked by an hospitalization and a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder.
Back then, we were two people in a process of becoming. I was photographing a journey of self realization, and this movement ran through both of us.
Under my gaze, Adam was discovering himself.
Through him, I was also discovering myself.
We were both engaged in a form of transition.
His was visible.
Mine was internal.
Adam offered me something rare: access to his vulnerability at the very moment he was discovering who he truly is. This trust is an act of friendship which I consider a gift. This project transformed our friendship, deepening our bond and giving it a new intensity.
The camera became a shared space of intimacy — a safe territory where our vulnerabilities could exist without judgment. Being a privileged witness to his affirmation of identity moved me profoundly. But it also transformed me, allowing me to explore my own identity and giving space for my artistic process to emerge. Simply. Both in trust.
[ MIROR ] speaks to that fragile moment when one becomes oneself.
About this quest for alignment between inner and outer self.
About this necessity of being seen in order to fully exist.
These images are not only the record of a gender transition.
They are the trace of a parallel construction: that of a man asserting himself, and of an artist being born.
Beyond that, [ MIROR ] remains for me a space of mutual recognition: the moment when, in each other’s gaze, we each began to see ourselves. See all items with this value - Yes See all items with this value
- Creator
- Audrey Bären
- gender
- She
- Date
- 2022
- Access Rights
- Yes
- Medium
- I understand
Site pages
This item was submitted on February 27, 2026 by [anonymous user] using the form “Curve Photo Contest 2026 Submission Form” on the site “Curve Archive”: https://curvemag.omeka.net/s/curve-archive
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