Byron Mohammad Hamzah
Yang Ting gal Hanya Kita
(All That Is Left Is Us)
In one work from Byron Mohammad Hamzah’s series Yang Ting gal Hanya Kita (All That Is Left Is Us), four images of a woman appear against a yellow floral backdrop. The woman is smiling in a white cotton dress, lounging in a bedroom. Leaning on one arm, the other is laid carefully on her belly, the white fabric of the dress draping over the bump which protrudes softly. The artist has stitched over the bump in cotton thread; a red rosette representing the embryo, a yellow circle representing fleeting happiness, and a green cross symbolising life. A caption in Jawi Malay embedded into the photo reads ‘the womb.’
In another photo, taken years later, the same woman sits on a bed, her head turned away. A white veil, or telekung, is pulled up over her shoulder, revealing a long scar stretching from her armpit to her breast. Stitched red lines radiate out from the wound, covering the entirety of the photograph. The caption reads ‘a mother and her scars.’
The photos are taken from Byron Mohammad Hamzah’s family albums, a personal archive documenting a childhood which, for Hamzah, contained a lot of pain. His mother appears as a complicated yet loving figure, a through-line of tenderness in an otherwise difficult narrative. By taking this family archive, informed by secrets, wounds and trauma, and adding to it both with his own photos and with cotton thread, Hamzah weaves a narrative of pain, complexity and care.
This text is published in Foam Magazine #68: Talent, in June 2026. Read more about the Foam Talent Runners-up.
About the artist
BYRON MOHAMMAD HAMZAH is a Malaysian documentary photographer based in Malaysia and the UK. A self-taught photographer, Byron has a background in medicine and has worked as a medical doctor for over 10 years. Driven by a passion for photography, he pursued a Masters in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the University of the Arts, London. His experiences in medicine have informed him of the importance of observation, emotional connection and empathy in exploring the lives of his subjects. His main documentary interests are on navigating social issues, identity, the clash of cultures and exploring the lives of those who live in the margins.
About the author
ISABEL WALTER is a writer and curator based in Amsterdam. She currently works as Assistant Curator at Foam, and Editorial Assistant at Foam Magazine. She is particularly interested in art which expands the technical and conceptual boundaries of photography, moving image and new technologies.
Image credit: Yang Ting gal Hanya Kita (All That Is Left Is Us) by Byron Mohammad Hamzah