The Mask

• Prize
  Bronze in People/Self-Portrait
• Photographer
  Sarra Pandărescu
• Technical Info
  F/4, 1/160 Sec, Iso-1250, 24mm, Sony Ilce-7m3
• Photo Date
  20/09/2024

In this self-portrait, I explore the tension between identity and the roles we play for others. Inspired by a recurring dream where I perform for an adoring audience, yet grow increasingly sad and exhausted, this image reflects a deeply personal conflict: the mask I wear for society versus my true self. Since childhood, I believed love had to be earned through performance, by bending to others' expectations. Photography has become a form of therapy, a means to strip away those layers. This image asks: who are we behind the masks we wear, and what is lost when we conform for too long?