Monika Macdonald

»I am not so fond of the idea of taking pictures. But I always return to it. The sense of getting close to something that has no words. This is why I continue. I balance between different worlds that I am trying to relate to. My pictures are memories. To have access to the feeling of solitude and vulnerability. To be allowed beyond sanity, far away from what is called reality.« (Monika Macdonald)

The women portrayed in In Absence all have one thing in common: their solitary search for belonging – to something or someone. This autobiographical account, which is also a psychological and intimate reflection, runs like a common thread throughout the images. The women are likeminded in their hesitation and uncertainty; in their longing, or yearning for some form of love. In Absence emanates from motherhood – without necessarily being set in a world of mothering. Monika Macdonald (b.1969) lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.