My Brilliant Friend

❊ Paper Cut Shadowbox ❊

Inspired by the book My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, this project illustrates the lifelong relationship between two best friends, dissecting the complexity of female friendship from two different phases of their life, and exploring the intense and soul-bonding dynamic of the friendship.  

Part one emphasizes the dynamic of their friendships when they were kids. In the story, these two girls had a rather intense friendship since the beginning, where love, jealousy, and competition intertwined. They often competed against each other on things like the boys they admired or how many books they've read; in return, the competition also forced them to show their true selves, thus bringing them closer.

Part two shows the later stages of their relationship when they grew older, one married, and the other left town for university. Although their life trajectories deviated, their friendship continued to grow and kept bringing them back to each other. And reading ended up becoming the bond that connected them spiritually.