Transmutation 5, 2021 © Melissa Alcena, Edition of 5. Hahnemühle fine art Baryta print

Interview by Yzabella Zari

Yzabella Zari: Moving back to your home in the Bahamas, what was the moment that sparked the inspiration to take portraits of local Bahamians in their natural state?

Melissa Alcena: I wouldn’t say there was a particular moment, it was more of a natural progression. I just began taking my camera with me as I ventured around Nassau. I’d end up having conversations with people and sometimes take an image after we connected, kind of finalizing the moment.

YZ: Were there any remarkable experiences you had working with them?

MA: One that stands out to me was a mid-pandemic moment. It was still very hard for me to create in the way that I usually do, with masks obscuring our faces and covid being pretty rampant at the time. I linked up with a friend and we decided to go for a drive and explore the island. As we were leaving an area we had stopped to hang for a while, I had a curious feeling like we should take a left on to Junkanoo Beach and as we drove up and around the curb we saw a group of boys laughing and jumping off a ledge into the water below. It was the inspiration I felt I had been missing for such a long time and I was BEYOND excited. They invited my friend and I to hang out when they relocated to the canals close by and I spent the majority of the day there taking photos and documenting their pure joy and innocence. It was awesome.

Transmutation 1, 2021 © Melissa Alcena, Edition of 5. Hahnemühle fine art Baryta print

YZ: What do you think the Bahamians would want you to portray, in regards to themselves?

MA: We like to put our best faces forward. I make sure to show everyone the image of themselves I like best when I’m taking their photo, to ensure I’m putting out an image that they’re comfortable with.

YZ: For these specific images, what was used to achieve the distorted effect?

MA:I found a weird mirror-like material that warped when you moved it, on youtube of all places.

YZ: How did this project make you feel?

MA: It was very experimental, so I really had no idea how it would turn out. So I was happy with the results after I got home to edit them.

Transmutation 3, 2021 © Melissa Alcena, Edition of 5. Hahnemühle fine art Baryta print

YZ: What emotions do you want to provoke?

MA: This project was more so about my mindset at the time– usually I’m focused on putting others front and center. I didn’t feel grounded and I was really struggling internally. I really felt like I was in purgatory, but that there was still some light to be had at the end of whatever I was going through emotionally.

YZ: Is this an ongoing project?

MA: No, it was just a bout of creative introspection.