The project is rooted in the in-between space of adolescence, the tension between childhood and adulthood that shapes early womanhood. It\u2019s a stage that has long inspired artists, and it\u2019s perhaps unsurprising that Fiore cites Sofia Coppola<\/a>\u2019s The Virgin Suicides as a formative influence. \u201cThe transitional stage between adolescence and young adulthood is filled with change,\u201d she says. \u201cExternal pressures can make it difficult to accept yourself and freely explore what you\u2019re naturally drawn to,\u201d she continues. \u201cAt its core, my work became an exploration of the body, followed by an exploration of sexuality.\u201d<\/p>\n That friction plays out in the images: an understated awkwardness drifting through some frames, set against sudden flashes of confidence. \u201cI know there is a quiet power in seeing yourself in ways you may have been afraid to before, perhaps because you felt you didn\u2019t match the standards imposed on you,\u201d Fiore explains. The poses also inhabit this in-between space, shifting between relaxation and tension; not childlike, but not fully adult. It\u2019s something writer Alessia Glaviano picks up on in the book\u2019s statement: \u201cThe bodies are caught in a pending state \u2013 as if uncertain of how to proceed \u2013 with an unrelenting power pulling them upwards, towards young adulthood and a second powerful and untamable force pushing, with equal strength, in the opposite direction, towards childhood \u2013 a realm that is fading away without ever truly disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n That in-betweenness is also conveyed through intimate, close framing, capturing the subtle details of bruises, redness, love marks, scars, or tattoos scattered across the girls. Fiore explains that some of these were intentionally framed and others were not, but once she notices a detail, it becomes a crucial part of the shot. The girls are mostly set against bedrooms and living rooms, sprawled on carpets or standing barefoot on worn floorboards. These familiar, private spaces reflect the idleness of adolescence \u2013 the mundanity of rooms soon to be outgrown and the quiet stirrings of nostalgia that linger long after.<\/p>\n Most of the girls were discovered through Instagram, a process Fiore says adds a layer of identity to the images. \u201cWhat I particularly like about finding girls on Instagram is that it offers a window into how they express themselves, how they want to be seen.\u201d While scrolling through accounts, posts, and story tags, she was drawn to subtleties and complexities that aren\u2019t immediately apparent. \u201cI\u2019m fascinated by the potential to reveal something new and refreshing, whether it\u2019s expressed through quiet shyness or confidence,\u201d she explains. \u201cThat mix of vulnerability and strength is what often captures my attention and inspires me to work with someone.\u201d<\/p>\n Through her selection of models, Fiore unintentionally holds up a mirror to parts of herself. \u201cPeople often tell me that some of the girls remind them of me, or that there\u2019s a certain resemblance among them. It\u2019s hard to articulate exactly what it is, but in every girl I photograph, there\u2019s an element that resonates with me,\u201d she tells Dazed. \u201cThe girls I photograph are, on average, about ten years younger than I am, a gap that has shaped my perspective. Ten years gives you enough distance for perspective, but not so much that you feel removed. Many of our experiences still overlap,\u201d she continues.<\/p>\n Over time, this sense of reflection became central to the project \u2013 revisiting adolescence inevitably casts a light back on her own experiences. Fiore\u2019s upbringing was shaped by the familiar pressures and expectations of youth. \u201cStarting high school exposed me to\u2026 what was considered cool or beautiful, and what wasn\u2019t. Growing up in Italy, beauty ideals were highly visible, narrow, and well-defined. I don\u2019t think I fully realised how much this shaped my self-esteem as a young girl. It\u2019s probably the same everywhere, but if you don\u2019t fit what you see, you begin to believe you\u2019re not good enough for many things,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, the impact of beauty standards intensified in my late teens, but paradoxically\u00a0 it hit hardest around 25 or 26, right when I started taking pictures for fun.\u201d In this way, Echo became as much a record of Fiore\u2019s coming of age as of the subjects. \u201cThese portraits feel like echoes of what we shared. They remind me not only of them but also of how deeply photographing them helped me understand myself, and of the way they shaped my perspective as a photographer,\u201d she explains. Now the project is complete, Fiore feels a sense of detachment from the work, one not too dissimilar to how we feel about our adolescent selves. She sees Echo as a celebration of that growth, continuity, and \u201cthe imprint of the past on the present.\u201d<\/p>\n Echo<\/a> by Guen Fiore is published by Patrick Remy Studio.<\/p>\n<\/a>
![\"Echo\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1424435.jpg\")
Photography Guen Fiore<\/p>\n