Hi!

I am Anna. I came to Cyprus 4 years ago which changed my life. I work as a photographer. I am specialised on boudoir and empowerment photography. I take pictures of individuals, couples, families, business owners and events.

I started my photography journey when I was at high school. I did plenty of other things before I became a professional photographer. Photography is my passion, my love and my happy place. I use it to express myself. It is my tool to capture and freeze the beauty that I see around me.

With this project I am reflecting the impact of unhealthy, toxic and emotionally abusive relationship on our thoughts, feelings and behaviour as I have grown up in a emotionally abusive environment it is a personal project.

So what is it all about exactly?

When I was a child, a teenager and a young adult, I often had the thought "I want to go home". I was too young to understand what it meant. I thought "But I am home. What is your problem?".

Now I know.

It meant that I didn't feel safe where I was. And it was not the location that made me feel unsafe, it was the life situation that the people who were with me had created due to their own past and insecurities.

I grew up with guilt, blame, manipulation, neglect and constant critiscism. I felt guilty, I felt bad about myself, I felt that I wasn't good enough and I can't do it right.

It had a massive impact on how I feel and think about myself, how I perceive and deal with life situations. It took years to understand, to realise and to be aware of how afraid I am, how blame and guilt drives my behaviour, how I put myself down which leads into mysery, dysfunction, self-desctruction and pain.

Why am I doing an exhibition about this topic?

I have my own children and I do many things differently in my parenting to break the cycle, to provide a healthy enviroment for them in which they grow up feeling safe to become human beings who respect themselves and others and to enable them to develop a healthy attachment style.

It is a topic that many people can relate to. Many of us have got a similar life story, have been in emotionally abusive romantic relationships, in unhealthy friendships or in a toxic working environment.

I want to pass on knowledge and personal experience.

I want to create compassion and understanding for the ones who show toxic, unhealthy and abusive behaviour because often we are not aware of the subconscious forces that drive us.

I want to raise awareness about the impact of toxic behaviour on someone else. I want to make us aware about how damaging it can be when we don't feel safe, when we can't be ourselves, when we are loved conditionally, when we please others and when we put ourselves down to let others rise.

I want to talk about it because it is topic that is underreported but effects many of us. The quality of our relationship determined how our life goes, what type of person we become and what our societies feel like. It is something that is in our hands: We have the power to create, to make, to change and to consciously decide on.

With awareness, understanding, healing and acceptance we can become the best version of ourselves and we can create a society that is based on respect, compassion and understanding for each other.

What is the concept behind the project?

I am using photography and storytelling to create images that tell different life scenarios: Romantic relationship, child-parent realtionship and individual stories.

People I have been working have different backgrounds, gender and ages. Together we have created pictures that show the emotions we go through when we are exposed to and experience unhealthy, toxic and emotionally abusive behaviour:

Anger, lost, empty, confused and more. We visualised the deteoriation of identity and self worth.

Pictures have been taken in abandoned places (buses, airplane, houses, factories, fun park, village) throughout Cyprus to tell the story and symbolise the neglect, the decay etc. and to visualise that the environment we are in shapes our personality, values, beliefs and behaviour.

The images will be exhibited along with personal stories, quotes and statements, information material and special guests in three cities in Cyprus (Nicosia, Limassol, Paphos) in January, February and March.

Pictures have been printed on acid-free paper in different sizes: 90x60, 60x40, 40x30.

We have created posters to use for marketing purposes which hang in Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos. We post on social media, send out emails to invite people to come to the exhibition.

What do I use the money for?

I face costs that I can't bear alone.

Your contributions go to:

1. Venues

We have 3 venues which will host the exhibition. Each exhibition is 6 days long. We want to make the most out of our work by showing our work in different cities in Cyprus. We wil provide drinks and snacks on the opening days.

2. Printing

In total we will have 8 photo shoots. Each representing different life scenarios and constellations to show the diversity in which emotionally abusive relationships occur. For each photo shoot 5 to 9 images have been selected to be printed to tell the story. The images are shown together with quotes, statements and stories from real experiences.

3. Marketing

I do marketing across social media platform with posts, stories and podcasts. I have designed and printed posters which I and my team distribute across different cities in Cyprus.

What is the point of doing this exhibition?

Emotional abuse is damaging. When feeling safe is gone, we are dealing with fear on a daily base. Guilt, blame and shame crushed our spirit. We respond with anger and depression. We lose hope and give up on our emotions. Emotionally abusive relationships sets up a life pattern that daily assaults the inner being. Present events and relationships are filtered through the negative messages and events of the past.

My project will help to raise awareness about the long-term impacts of emotionally abusive, toxic and unhealthy relationships. I show what it looks like, I share experiences and I provide a space to talk about it. This will help to validate experiences, reduces stigma and recognizing abuse patterns. It can encourage to seek help and leave unsafe dynamics. It also highlights that abuse can be non-physical, erode self-esteem, provoke fear and anxiety, and contribute to issues like gaslighting, codependency, and abandonment fears.

What are other ways to help?

If you’re unable to contribute financially, you can still make a huge difference:

1. Share the Campaign

Spread the word to your friends, family, and networks who love art, storytelling and want to make change for our societies.

2. Follow & Support on Social Media

Every like, comment, and share brings more visibility to the project.

What else do I want to say?

With this project I realise the artist and director in me. It is one of dreams to have my own exhibition with my own photography art project. With your help I can make it happen.

And yes I am aiming to an impact, too.

Let’s make "Home is not a place. It is a feeling." reality together. Thank you for your belief in the power of art and human connection.