Photography has a rich history between intimacy and family.  When the camera is turned to examine the complexities of one’s own family dynamics, you get a beautiful yet bittersweet critique on unconditional love, the struggles to maintain appearances, and also the difficulties in remaining close.  Sophie Barbasch finds a poetic narrative while following several of the men in her life.  Embraced with a hushed sadness, the characters in her work explore their relationships with each other, and contemplate what it means to be alone.

Sophie Barbasch is a photographer based in New York City. She earned her MFA in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design and her BA in Art and Art History from Brown University. Selected residencies include the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, NE, and the Blue Mountain Center in Blue Mountain Lake, NY. Selected publications and awards include The Atlantic Online, Conveyor Magazine, and Photo Boite’s 30 Under 30 Women Photographers. She has exhibited internationally.

 Fault Line

Fault Line is a project I am doing in the small coastal town of Brooklin, Maine. The protagonist is my younger cousin Adam, who lives there. I also photograph my brother, father, and other cousins. I chose the title because a fault line alludes to where the earth splits in an earthquake (a metaphor for a divided family with a complicated history) and also alludes to fault, or blame (I wonder, how does a family support each other, even when things aren’t perfect?) My goal is to show the weight we all carry and how we are both connected and isolated from each other.