Artist Submissions – Karla Byrne

I am a fourth-year photography student in Dublin, Ireland and for my final project, I am photographing my own mental health with the intention of confronting it rather than hiding it as I have for many years. I had intentions of working on this project a couple of years ago but quickly stopped as I did not feel ready for it. I felt that now is the time as mental health is nothing to be ashamed of. The project gives a sense of vulnerability due to my being naked in the photographs. I am exposing my own mental health in a literal and metaphorical sense. This work is the way many people have found out how I struggle with my mental health. I chose to use self-portraiture as I have full control of the photographs. It also leaves me confronting my own mental health every time I view them. The work has no title yet as I haven’t been able to think of one at the moment.