Growing up with my grandparents they could never tell a short story about any
members of my family. ‘Mother’s Side’ is a self-portrait series of fictional re-enactments of stories inspired by the female ancestors from my mother’s lineage. When looking through the vernacular photographs I found in scrapbooks I found references for poses. Photo albums edit how families depict themselves.

By listening to family stories, I can create images that weren’t photographed. This enables me to interpret my ancestor myself instead of mimicking an image. These stories inspired a new personal statement
as my own contribution to my family narrative.

Soka Lazara is a Mississauga based multidisciplinary artist who completed her BFA in Photography Studies at Ryerson University. Her work revolves around self-portraiture, editorials, and documentaries. In her practice, she utilizes mixed-media to conceptualize and manipulate her photographs.