Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
The same

"Now dragons must be slain and unexpected obstacles must be overcome, again and again and again" This signifies an individual's decision to become the hero of their own life and to navigate through everything that lies behind them as their past. The term 'past' in its essence signifies that which has gone, but has it truly gone? My past and childhood were spent in a home nestled in the highlands of the mountains, a sacred mountain where I experienced memories both sweet and bitter—birth, death, love, and many other things. Years later, as I distanced myself from it and embraced urban life, I carried it all with me, always comparing everything to that seemingly sacred past. The stones in this collection symbolize my past, my family, my place of existence, and everything I have had until today. Navigating through the past and engaging in a personal confrontation with it are the central themes of this project. Each character in this collection has a unique interaction with the stones, symbolizing their confrontation with their past. After completing this project, I realized that this ritual of transition continues until the last moment of my life, and one must overcome unexpected obstacles again and again.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2023
Date Uploaded: 09.2024
Photo Location: Tehran, Iran
Camera: NIKON D810
Copyright: © Mohammad Sorkhabi