Life and death are inextricably linked, and it seems like everything that has a beginning has an end. As I try to relive past moments, I have realized how many times I have been happy. If I had not experienced pain, I would not have appreciated those moments of joy. However, sometimes things just do not work out, and it is beyond anyone's control.

I have always been adverse to any displays with skulls in them, ever since I was young. There was something about what they symbolized that did not sit well with me - death, endings, decay. I never fancied those concepts.

But in retrospect, as I try to find a silver lining in life, I realize that there is so much beauty that I have experienced. It is a beauty that I know no words for. And maybe, all endings are bittersweet, and after all, the pain is worth its price?

Despite the pain, there is comfort in knowing that there is someone out there for me. I still have the capacity to fall deeply in love and to feel. At the end of the day, everyone carries some kind of pain with them, and that is what makes us who we are.

These ideas and reflections have inspired my photography series of floral skulls representing love and loss. Drawn from the 17th century Dutch painters in the vanitas-style, the series represents the different stages of a serendipitous meeting with a person. Every flower was painstaking arranged to create these images. From the initial flirtatious and cautious beginning to discovering and knowing the other person more, to the love between the two blossoming, and finally the end where everything is grim and dull. The series embodies the idea that life and death are intertwined, and that love and loss are inevitable parts of the human experience.

Through this series, I hope to bring a new perspective to the symbolism of skulls and the concept of vanitas. Life is fleeting, and it is important to cherish every moment, even the painful ones. The floral skulls in my photographs represent the beauty and fragility of life, and the fleeting nature of love and loss.