Contusioni scintillanti

"Contusioni scintillanti" is a self-portrait that highlights the little-known theme of love-bombing: a toxic and manipulative love, a manipulation strategy in which the partner literally bombards, flooded with love, admiration and attention, in order to gain power and control over the life of the other person.

I made this self-portrait during a toxic love relationship with a person affected by pathological narcissism, who with his "sick" love has subjected me and caused me much suffering. The intent was to visually recreate the condition of love-bombing, of this emotional bombardment that if apparently it seems to be the manifestation of the purest and unconditional love, in reality it’s a siege that will strike one blow after another until it devastates you.
Precisely for this reason, I portrayed my body emaciated, full of bruises and colored contusions, because you are not aware of these attacks, you feel pain but it is considered right and necessary to receive that kind of love. In addition, on the skin there are also small red hearts, a few of them sparkle but those that don’t glitter seem holes caused by bullets.

Technique: digital photography
Editions: 15
Material: Fine Art cotton paper