Future Nostalgia

Future Nostalgia explores the way memories shape identity. The piece expresses a sense of emotional anticipation of loss, rendering each encounter more vivid. Individuals may drift in and out of one’s life, but it is through these fleeting moments and connections that lasting imprints and identity are continuously formed. Created using the scumbling technique with a blue ballpoint pen, the hazy, layered strokes mirror the imperfect and fragmented nature of recollection in the brain. The fusion of a top-down view of people walking with a large self-portrait reflects how transient moments, even as they blur with time, accumulate and continue to build who we are.

Memory plays a fundamental role in shaping identity by allowing individuals to create a coherent narrative of who they are. Through episodic memory, the brain stores personal experiences that contribute to a sense of continuity over time. Each remembered moment, whether joyful, painful, or mundane, helps form the internal story that defines the self. As the brain reconstructs these memories, often influenced by emotion and reflection, identity remains dynamic, constantly evolving through both past experiences and how they are remembered.