Personal Statement on Art

I was born in the midst of the Cold War, behind the “Iron Curtain,” where my family endured a period of political and cultural repression, a time when state authorities sought to obliterate our collective identity and to eradicate our ethnic and religious practices. This created a spiritual vacuum that shaped my early years. Raised in a spiritually barren environment, in circumstances where a disenchanted worldview was culturally enforced, I grew up with a profound sense of emptiness, a void at my core. As I grow older, with the support of my family and the grounding presence of our two young children, alongside living with a difficult illness, I’ve been trying to rebuild a sense of personal spirituality.

I find it impossible to embrace any formalized religious structures. Instead, I have found solace in thoughtful engagement with art. Through purposeful creative activity, I seek to approach the sublime—an ongoing journey of reawakening through artistic expression.

I was fortunate to receive a thorough photographic education at an early age, during my time as a refugee in North Africa in the 1980s. By the time I was in Grade 6, I was already immersed in the fundamentals of film photography. I have posted some of my very early work, from that time in my childhood, here: Leptis Magna.

Over time, I came to realize that my camera was not just a tool for documenting various aspects of the external world, but rather a means of seeking something more subtle: mystery and the ever-elusive glimmers of the sacred. My aim is to craft each personal project with this intent: to deepen and expand this nascent spirituality, so that I may gradually re-enchant the world around me.

Because he also regarded photography as a path to the spiritual, Minor White remains one of my foremost artistic influences. I am equally inspired by Kandinsky’s vision of the spiritual in art, and I absolutely admire the films of director Andrei Tarkovsky. Above all, I owe much to my teacher and mentor at McGill University, the philosopher Charles Taylor, whose core insights continue to guide my exploration of identity, faith, and creativity.