Sarah I

This stark black and white diptych explores hands as both tools and symbols of emancipation. In the first frame, fingers adorned with metallic hand shaped jewelry reach towards concealing glasses, creating a powerful metaphor where the decorated hand becomes both beautified and weaponized in its quest for clarity. The metallic embellishment serves not as mere ornament, but as armour for the act of unveiling truth.

The second image inverts the narrative, as hands grasp at fabric from behind, their grip speaking to that urgent moment of self-liberation. Shot from behind, the anonymous figure’s reaching hands tell a universal story of shedding constraints. The monochrome treatment strips away distraction, focusing our attention on these pivotal gestures of self-determination – the pulling away of barriers, the grasping toward freedom.

Together, these images create a visual dialogue about agency and action, where hands become protagonists in their own right. Through careful composition, each frame captures that electric moment of choosing to break free, suggesting that liberation often begins with the simple yet profound act of reaching toward it.

Diana’s approach to titling her works honours both the individual and the universal feminine experience. By using the models’ real names – Sarah, Emma, Louise, Maria – she acknowledges each woman’s unique identity while simultaneously creating a bridge to broader human experience. The simplicity of these real names grounds the work in lived experience while allowing the images to speak to broader themes of liberation, joy, and self-discovery.