The Bougainvillea Project
When I moved to Los Angeles at nineteen, I was captivated by the bougainvillea that seemed to bloom from every corner of the city. Many years later, I began photographing the plant as a way of exploring the landscape and identity of a city that had become woven into my own story.
Over two years, I photographed bougainvillea throughout Los Angeles. Spilling over walls, climbing telephone poles, arching above doorways, and thriving in forgotten spaces, the blooms transcend neighborhood boundaries, appearing in both carefully tended gardens and abandoned lots. Through repetition, these photographs become a portrait of Los Angeles—a city shaped by migration, ambition, resilience, and reinvention.
