“A tool with many tools” as described from Aristotle; the hand is a tool for grasping, taking, pushing, pulling, squeezing, pressing, pointing, fumbling, crushing, smashing, scratching, stroking, caressing, throwing, drumming, lifting. There are more verbs for hand gestures than for any other movement. The hand is the diligent servant of the brain. It has many skills; it speaks, acts and knows. The hand has a special relationship with the brain; one grabs and grabs hold. A touch, or touch, can activate areas of our brain, thereby influencing our thought processes, reactions and psychological responses. The hand is also expressive and enables us to gesture so that we can express thoughts and feelings.

The development of the hand starts early in the fetal stage.
The large amount of nerves in the fingertips makes the hand one of the most sensitive parts of the human anatomy.
When a small child holds the hand of one of the parents, there is security, comfort and leadership.
Hands can be deeply personal; each one unique. Hands are honest, you can't hide from what they speak. Scars, wrinkles, stains, cuts, burns, an unconscious movement, a unique handwriting, DNA.
Our hands have never been more aware of others than now, as if the hand is somehow a collective symbol and a source of failure. In parallel, we long to express ourselves, for social stimuli, the tactile and for intimacy.
From a biographical approach, I will take a closer look at the psychological effects an isolated state has on the human mind. Since I was 17, I have self-isolated on and off. My life is not that different now than it was before COVID-19. Having been fascinated by hands for a long time, I have collected photos of my own over the past ten years and cropped them together, analog and digital, with images from recent events and the past. The past events shown could just as easily illustrate the present, rather than what has subsequently become apparent is how they reflect on my life in general. Hands symbolize to me everything and nothing; a longing for intimacy and a desire to express what I cannot.

Exhibited at Vasli Souza, Fotobokfestivalen and Matca Artspace. Also part of Mads Nørdgaards AW22 collection.