at war with myself I am at war with you

A .PNG print-ready digital download of 'at war with myself I am at war with you' by Mercy Thokozane Minah.

Additional context for the piece:

In ‘at war with myself’ I wanted to convey the tension of intimacy between two people who are at odds with themselves internally and are thus experiencing a similar rift within their intimacy. Even though there is a clear connection between them, shown through their physical proximity and near identical poses, their backs are turned to one another. Which is a stance I chose to convey that they are navigating a reluctance toward trust, vulnerability, and facing each other lest they be seen to closely, too clearly. I also wanted to convey that with people who are at war with themselves, it is often difficult for them to cut through to the truth of who they are – because self-acceptance is difficult for and sometimes at the root of inner conflict – and harder yet for them to share true versions of themselves with others. Which is suggested through the mirror reflection of the pair and the smoke obscuring parts of their bodies.