Lisa Cramer, Mimesis and Katharsis (BLACK & WHITE 2025)

This personal project is an expression of the gap between language and reality, a space to process my place in the world and portray a pervasive longing, blockages and the thwarting of desires. We are all broken in different ways and this is my response to what is real and what is ideal. My current project is a deeply personal exploration of grief and loss surrounding a child that never came to be. It examines how grief imposes its demands and reimagines family structures. The narrative is intentionally cryptic yet rich, aiming to evoke complex emotions and challenge viewers to confront the latent losses and desires in their lives. Through this work, I highlight the profound longing and yearning to become parents—experiences often overlooked in a society focused on traditional family units. By sharing our story, I seek psychological relief and collective strength, addressing the question, “If not a mother or a father, then who are we?” Ultimately, the project aims to create an atmosphere that encourages viewers to engage with their own experiences of loss and desire, fostering a deeper understanding of what it means to navigate life as an outlier in a family-centric world.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.