My name is sharai mustatia aka princess shredder.

I live as a guest on the Ancestral and unceded Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) əl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ/ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) territories, colonially known as Vancouver, BC.

My Ancestors are from The Red River Métis & Romania and I was born in Treaty 4. Along my path of healing, I discovered photography  as a powerful artistic tool in my recovery from complex post traumatic stress disorder. Creating photographic art has given me a sense of belonging & connectedness in place of isolation. In my search for understanding my Identity as a Métis person and where I come from on both sides of my Ancestral relations, it is photography (and lots of therapy) that has helped me see more clearly where I come from, and with whom I belong. 

Predominantly an analogue photographer who dabbles in digital photography, too. Using experimental films & techniques, I create layers & meaning to evoke deep emotion through my images. You may find messages, manipulation of colour & distortion of time & place.  My work is an exploration of Identity, Place and Belonging. 

The art of film photography helps me through some of life's moments of chaos. Photography also allows me to learn to express the incredible beauty that lives within me. Once I click the shutter of any of my film cameras, I feel like I can breathe deeper. The release of the shutter is a perfect analogy of my releasing stress and grief - Which leads me closer to transformative healing. 

Recently, I created an analogue photography workshop to share the creative tricks and intentional experimentation that I have been learning over the past 11 years. Using a basic point and shoot camera, I guide participants through the processes of creating an image on film. It's a really sweet workshop and I am excited to do  more . 

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