This series was inspired by thinking about what it means to love fully. Like in all of our work at This is Worldtown, we considered the invisible forces that carry the most power in this world. We considered all the ways that women of color exhibit love that isn’t always seen. And we wanted to put a name to it. There is love in the way we care for community, for family, for the work that we do, and for the lost loves that leave us longing and broken. But with all of this, there is negotiation and labor that isn’t always visible, just as there are simple, unrecognized gestures that carry different forms of love. The idea behind this series was to curate stories and pieces that reclaim the love that isn’t always visible. The love that makes us question what defines heartbreak, what defines a connection, how we learn and unlearn, how we teach and feel love. These questions are brought to the surface through this collection of visual works, poetry and text created by women who’ve beautifully visualized all the love you can’t visibilize.
Your mother never said it. Your first crush was the girl you couldn’t tell. The love of your life you couldn’t share with the world. The feeling of being desired but never wholly loved. The ways in which our chosen family cares for us. The way the love we desire is about undoing the patriarchy. The way we feel seen but not always loved. The way we feel love that isn’t always seen. This is Invisible Love.
Espejo
Written and Directed by Shireen Alihaji
Espejo, which translates to mirror is the search of love within one’s own reflection.