DEVOTIONAL

Each May in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Roma pilgrims from across Europe gather to honor Sara la Kali, their patron saint. Amid the music, procession, and tides of tradition, one detail returns again and again with quiet power: the human hand. This series focuses on the hand as the purest expression of faith. It reaches, lifts, clutches, and protects. It lights candles, touches icons, guides the next generation. In this pilgrimage, it is not the face that prays first. It is the hand. But these hands do more than worship. They also carry history. Tattoos, rings, bracelets, and bangles reflect the cultural identity of the Romani people. Faith and heritage are intertwined, etched into skin, wrapped in silver, passed down through gesture. Photographed in black and white, these images are both document and meditation. I chose to isolate the hands to strip away distraction and focus on the universal language of devotion. The result is a choreography of belief, embodied in the smallest movement. This is not traditional reportage, nor a purely aesthetic exercise. It is an offering. A quiet testament to how the sacred lives in touch, in craft, in tradition, and in the act of holding something dear. Special thanks to Cécile Domens for her guidance during this pilgrimage.