ART

My Endless Love

photography and words by JEN GARCIA

Selena, one of my longtime muses, recently experienced a profound loss—her uncle, who was dear to her, died tragically. Her sadness was unimaginable, but it also brought her and her boyfriend closer together. “One of the hardest things you can go through in a relationship is grief,” Selena told me. “But my partner endured and carried every ounce of pain I had in me.”

Her story inspired me to create a piece of art that portrayed romance and grief simultaneously, showing Selena triumph as a heroine through pain while emanating love and passion for her partner. With texture and cinematic lighting to feel like an old romantic film and a tangible photograph, I folded and unfolded, opened and closed one too many times, as if the image were an old photo saved in a wallet for years.

At first glance, this photograph shows deep love, passion, and romance, yet beneath the surface, deep sorrow. It reveals the vulnerable moment right before the kiss, a climax frozen in time—the peak instant of completely immersing yourself in someone and having them receive you completely.