Right as winter quarter commences, sophomore Robin Maaya has already been working on her next exhibition – “Girls Ward: Left.” Maaya’s upcoming body of work features photos meant to represent the time she spent in a Florida institution in early 2016. She has turned what could be thought of as a negative into something to grow from.
Maaya talks fondly about her time in the institution as it was more of a learning experience for her rather than a setback.
The photos in “Girls Ward: Left” are black and white portraits set in an ideal white environment, leaving the mind to only focus on the symbolic subjects as past hardships.
A poem from her first night at the institution describes how she felt moving into the new season:
“The Gaps between, help us cope/when we feel we have no more hope.
The love between brings us peace/and kills all our scary beasts.
The separation of the skin/while bringing forth all our sins.
This is over and done for now/I’m ready to leave and take a bow.”
Maaya’s exhibition is on Friday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. above Fab’rik on Broughton. The exhibition is one night only and limited produced books will be sold. Visitors will also have the opportunity to meet Maya.
Nick Thomsen is the Chief Photo Editor at District. He is currently a Sophomore Photo Major who will graduate in 2021.
