Apapachar is a word of Nahuatl origin that describes the relevant human impulse to “care, touch, spoil, heal, and embrace with the energy of the heart and soul.”
This series is the organic result of and exploration around the rites of human embracing and compassion. It is meant to capture diverse individuals, each bound by different relationships and emotions.
The concept of Apapachar is not new. From the paintings from renaissance era to the work of contemporary video artist Bill Viola, the idea of greeting and embracing represents one of the most human, and most honest forms of social interaction.
The embraces in the photos are not staged or planned. They reflect the authentic emotion of physical contact — from passion, to excitement, to tenderness, to rejection — our bodily language speaks its own language.
These minimalistic portraits reflect the profound, simple, and yet rich shades of human emotion in its primal state. Each photo is meant to demonstrate the powerful sense of touch that echoes the embracing of the human soul.
