Like we could almost live forever

“Like we would almost live forever” is a profound exploration that traces ten years of my life through the intersection of photography and writing. This comprehensive body of work meticulously weaves together over one-hundred images, collected across six dedicated years, with handwritten fragments pulled from a decade of personal journals. Through this synthesis of medium and memory, the project explores the foundational themes of identity, memory, and the deep-seated human need for belonging.

The narrative follows the complex emotions and reflections that naturally arise as one grows older, leaves the safety of childhood behind, and learns to navigate the inevitable realities of change, distance, and the relentless passage of time. This project also reflects a life lived across two continents and an ocean, stretching from the familiar landscapes of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, to the expansive horizons of Southern California. In doing so, it gently questions societal conventions and the various ways we choose to define and inhabit ourselves.

At its heart, the work is an inquiry into love, fear, and the persistent desire to hold onto everyday, fleeting moments, treating them as small windows onto the magical, sometimes strange, or even goofy mystery of living. It traces the invisible threads that connect the past to the present, capturing the quiet and often fragile ways in which experiences shape our identity and perception.

This first monograph of photography and writings from “Like we could almost live forever” was published by Kettler Verlag (Germany) in May 2025, designed by Hannah Feldmeier in collaboration with Alexa Becker.

Carlotta Guerra is part of Issue 18 by Guest Editor Hank Willis Thomas.