MA Photography & Image-Making student part of “PHOTOGRAPHY, IT’S ABOUT TIME” Exhibition

Congratulations to our student Sofia Aviles for exhibiting a part of her photographic series FRUS at the Doral Contemporary Art Museum as part of the Miami Women’s Month exhibition, “PHOTOGRAPHY, IT’S ABOUT TIME.” FRUS, is an ongoing photographic series that explores the intersections of personal and cultural identity through her experience as an American living with a French family. Shot on monochrome Ilford HP5 PLUS film, the images document the rhythms of domestic life—capturing everything from the origins of shared meals to the animals that inhabit this intimate space.

Each photograph is processed in the Paris darkroom where she works, transforming the images into physical artefacts that bear the imprint of both place and process. By engaging with early black-and-white photographic techniques, FRUS reflects on the nuances of migration, intimacy, and adaptation. The series serves as both a personal record and a broader meditation on the relationship between Americans and the French, exploring the quiet gestures that define belonging in a foreign home.

As the project evolves, Sofia plans to expand FRUS in reverse. She will document her French partner’s experience in the United States. Empathizing with his perspective, she will explore how cultural expectations shift when the roles are reversed, examining how he navigates a new environment and constructs his own sense of place. This dual perspective will create a dialogue between our experiences, further deepening the exploration of identity, home, and cross-cultural relationships.