Axel Calvet, Bipolarity (PEOPLE & PORTRAIT 2026)

My entry is part of my series “Listen to the stranded Souls”. Society tends to judge people who live with the negative consequences of addiction or unhealthy habits, without stopping to think about the underlying cause that led them to fall into dependence. Perhaps it's anxiety, a lack of emotional resources to overcome it, low self-esteem, loneliness or dissatisfaction with an empty life. With my series, I would like to present a different viewpoint on the harm caused by addictions, respecting the struggles of those trapped by sparking a creative dialogue that transcends the stigmatising gaze, instead showing the consequences of dangerous habits. With this particular entry “Bipolarity”, I want to represent the serious consequences that can come from excessive recreational drug use. I used a multiple exposure mode to create a chaotic image that captures different emotional states at the same time. I also wanted to emphasise these changing emotions through the messy (burnt) hair, creating a sense of disorder while reflecting the confusion and lack of clarity in the subject’s thoughts.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.