Yael Martinez’s photograph, titled “Fiction - Vision I,” was created on November 2, 2020, the day before the U.S. presidential election. The image is an intervened composition that overlays the American flag’s stars and stripes over a repeated, ghostly procession of figures raising their fists. The stars, symbolizing eternity, evoke a profound awareness of human fragility and the finite nature of time and space.

The photograph invites reflection on uncertainty and fear, as well as the enduring presence of ancestors and the legacy of struggle that shapes identity and hope. It suggests that despite the challenges and unrest, we stand on the shoulders of past generations who fought to form ideals, voices, and images that continue to resonate. This layered, haunting vision calls viewers to confront the overwhelming reality of their moment and the histories that inform it.