When I’ll be young

Since 2017, I’ve been photographing those close to me. With this project, I began building a personal archive and, for the first time, thinking of my images as part of a series. As a child, I would often say to my father: “When I will be young…” paradoxical phrase, since I was already very young. But in my imagination, being “young” meant having a kind of freedom I associated with teenagers and adults: driving, hanging out, drinking wine, living without constraints. This project was born from that phrase. It took shape over the years, growing alongside me. It explores the blurred lines between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. By photographing my loved ones, I document my generation but also the bonds that form over time, and the transitions from one age to another. It’s as much an intimate chronicle of my youth, somewhere between portrait and caricature, as it is a reflection on aging, both that of others and the one I feel within myself. Growing up means acting without always understanding; growing old means understanding without always acting. This project tells the story of that gradual back-and-forth between naivety and clarity. By building this series from my archive, I wanted to weave a narrative around the idea of “When I will be young” as an attempt to hold onto what is passing and make sense of what lies ahead.