p.2022
Sombra del Pasado is a deeply personal series created by Ellis Bairstow over the course of three days in Málaga, the Spanish city where he spent the first eight years of his life. Málaga holds a significant place in Ellis' identity, as it shaped much of his early childhood and continues to influence his sense of self.
The series was born out of Ellis' reflections on his own identity and the feeling of not fully belonging to any one place. Having split his childhood between two vastly different cultures, he often found himself existing in the middle ground, caught between his memories of Spain and his life in the UK. Despite the passage of time and the fading of childhood memories, Málaga still feels like a place that he belongs to, even as his connection to it weakens. His Spanish language skills deteriorate, and he feels an increasing distance from that part of his identity, yet the emotional tie remains strong.
Sombra del Pasado, which translates to Shadow of the Past, encapsulates this complex relationship with his roots. Through the series, Ellis seeks to visually express the tension between belonging and estrangement, capturing the fragments of a childhood that continues to influence him, even as it becomes more distant. The work serves as a poignant exploration of identity, memory, and the feeling of being caught between two worlds.