“Where the Horizon Begins” is a visual and political reflection on the representation of the female body, conceived through soulimages — images created from old, historical, and ethnological photographic archives, re-signified through the use of digital tools to restore their voice and soul. The term soulimages arises from the union of “soul” and “images”, and designates works that, although born from a contemporary process, preserve the memory, essence, and spirit of the archives from which they originate.

In this series, the artist combines the power of archival material with a critical gaze to transcend traditional narratives and question the historical codes that have defined and limited women in art and visual culture.

The women portrayed, always seen from behind and carrying baskets on their heads, are presented as universal symbols of resilience and strength. The baskets, both physically and symbolically laden, evoke the historical struggles and responsibilities assumed by women: unpaid labor, invisible care, and the emotional weight of sustaining families and communities. Yet these images do not only depict the burden of these loads; they also speak of progress, of looking toward a shared horizon where such responsibilities transform into agency and autonomy.

The decision to conceal the faces and focus on the women’s backs carries a deeply political intent. In a visual culture obsessed with frontality and facial recognition, these images dismantle the act of looking. The absence of faces frees the figures from scrutiny and from the categorizations that, for centuries, have reduced women to mere objects of desire or judgment. Through this gesture, the women transcend individuality to become archetypes of resistance and autonomy. Their backs, far from signaling withdrawal, constitute a powerful declaration: an affirmation of existence free from justification, gaze, or face.

These soulimages, born from dialogue with photographic archives and the use of digital tools, invite the viewer to reflect on how aesthetic canons and visual memories are created, and how they can be reinterpreted to open new readings. The results of this interaction generate fertile ground for re-signifying historical representations.

“Where the Horizon Begins” celebrates the collective strength of women and their progress toward more equitable futures. Each image is a tribute to untold stories, an invitation to imagine and construct new narratives centered on dignity, autonomy, and transformation.