The grasp is firm and the gaze is fixed. Neither the boy nor the adult who holds him is seen in full, an indication that the exquisite framing of the picture is intended as so, and perhaps that the gestures are dramatised. The boy’s face, flush with the innocent charm of late childhood, is otherwise anodyne, save for the gravity of his fixed stare, more arcane than youth can suggest. And what of the hands placed on both sides of his face? They too, covered in an uneven coat of paste, are hard to date. This, then, is a photograph that says little of why it was taken, pointing instead to small traces of mystery.

— Emmanuel Iduma

The photo was taken in Heroldsbay, in December 2021. My grandmother had a white facemask on her face and hands, and my youngest brother, Gustav, was sitting on the couch. As my grandmother entered the living room, I was fascinated by her hands. I asked her to place them on Gustav's face, and gave him an eyeline to look at. I took the photo.

This photograph was one of the earliest photographs that defined HOLYDAY as a project. It is one I am partial to. While specific photographs from HOLYDAY stand out to me, I regard them best as a whole. They are complementary to each other.

I see photography as a habit, or as a devotion. It is in the day-to-day practice of it that I find the most meaning. I take my camera wherever I go. I don't always have the words to express the things I am feeling, and in their place, I have photography as a means of communication.

— DMT

DMT is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist, born in Pretoria, South Africa who specialises in documentary and fine art photography, often drawing from literary, sociological, and metaphysical influences. The winner of the of Emergentes 2023 - International Photography Award Encontros da Imagem for HOLYDAY, DMT is a member of Through the Lens Collective, and a PhMuseum Masterclass alum. See more of DMT’s work on their website, Instagram and on Nowhere Diary and F-Stop Magazine.