MAYA JUNE MANSOUR
Light Brown Butterfly releases August 29th at 12pm PST
multi-hyphenate
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Light Brown Butterfly is an intimate photo series and forthcoming self-published book exploring the emotional, spiritual, and physical aftermath of sexual trauma. Through self-portraiture and mixed photographic formats—from 35mm film to Polaroids—Light Brown Butterfly is a study in the non-linear nature of healing after an assault I experienced in my youth. The project began after I was diagnosed with a large ovarian cyst in 2019, a moment that led me to question the connections between unprocessed trauma and reproductive health.
Rooted in personal research and healing across my lineages in Black America and the SWANA region, Light Brown Butterfly investigates how cultural silence around sexual violence can manifest in the body as illness. Each image acts as a study mapping a journey through grief, anger, shame, and reclamation. Mirrors appear throughout the work, representing both personal reflection and an invitation to the viewer to reflect on their own relationship with the themes.
Each book in this edition of 50 is Swiss bound, printed in Los Angeles on 80.0 lb superfine eggshell white paper.
Rooted in personal research and healing across my lineages in Black America and the SWANA region, Light Brown Butterfly investigates how cultural silence around sexual violence can manifest in the body as illness. Each image acts as a study mapping a journey through grief, anger, shame, and reclamation. Mirrors appear throughout the work, representing both personal reflection and an invitation to the viewer to reflect on their own relationship with the themes.
Each book in this edition of 50 is Swiss bound, printed in Los Angeles on 80.0 lb superfine eggshell white paper.