Hannah Dong

Media Arts & Sciences major

Coming to Wellesley, I took my very first photography classes. From photographing my family in my childhood to photographing different communities in and around Wellesley, I was captivated by people. Photography helped me learn about new perspectives and hear from people I would never encounter otherwise. It gave me the courage to talk to strangers and enter their worlds.

After a whirlwind of nine months, I have made many reflections. While Fragmented Realities investigates self and perception, my journey in discovering my identity as an artist occurred in a parallel fashion. When beginning my thesis I found myself at odds with my identity as a "young artist." However, if this year-long journey has taught me anything, it is that I am an artist: an artist who is inspired by capturing moments of intimacy and the universality of human experience. This year, I found myself being surrounded by art, both my own and that of my peers, mentors, and visiting artists. As I walked around campus, I began moving differently and found beauty in my everyday surroundings. Art has always surrounded me and all it took was changing the way I looked.

Fragmented Realities

archival inkjet prints

Jewett Gallery

Fragmented Realities explores how individuals participate in a world filled with trick mirrors. During the pandemic I spent a lot of time alone and hyper-fixated on the world around me. Going online, the tensions felt higher than ever before. My work seeks to reconcile the feelings of fragmentation, reflection, and presentation. Fragmented Realities is about being seen, being hidden, being in a world that is closer but simultaneously farther apart than ever before.

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