Honorable Mention in the category « Portrait »

A phantom is a ghostly apparition or a fleeting illusion. It refers to something that appears real to the senses but lacks physical substance, often haunting, elusive, or imaginary.

This series is a part of exhibition "The Phantom Portraits" - a study of the human psyche, suspended between beauty and existential pain. Rejecting the aestheticised poses common in pop culture, these portraits are raw, ambiguous, and intentionally "unattractive". Formally, photos are often "defective" or with "technical errors”.

Despite their beauty, the subjects are captured in moments of emotional rupture. Their expressions freeze in uncomfortable, equivocal configurations that serve as a visual manifesto of fear, anger, madnes, daubt, depression... These are emotions often pushed to the margins, yet here they resonate with full force. "The Phantom Portraits" is an invitation into a world where femininity does not serve as an ornament, but becomes a space for authentic, albeit painful, experience. Ultimately, however, everything that is human can be a source of pride.