Solitude

Valeria Bcassini

Canon EOS R50 (2024)

This is Tannourine in Lebanon.

From the smell of the cedars comes childhood, while from the light comes memory. These two strangers I found standing there, shut in their silence but somehow sharing the same moment. The lush green trees almost seem to hum, and the ground, warmed by the shining sun, feels warm, as though it is retaining heat. One could almost feel the weight of their thoughts mingled with the lightness of that mountain breeze in the air between them.

I did not want to simply show a place-I wanted to show how it feels to be smaller in such a grand landscape. You become lost among the cedars, yet the cedars somehow belong to you. It's about the tug between the desire for isolation and knowing one is not. Funny how a split second can hold both.


Valeria Bcassini, a Lebanese artist, understands the heartbreak of seeing her homeland ravaged by conflict. Finding solace in the face of helplessness, she uses photography and writing to process her grief and preserve the cherished memories and beauty war threatens to erase. Her work is a deeply personal expression of resilience, connecting with others through shared human experience.