In his debut book Filling in the Gaps, Marcus Gustafsson explores a deeply personal and complex narrative about his father’s alcoholism and its impact on himself and his family. The project reconciles fragmented memories to better understand the circumstances that have shaped his life and relationships, while also serving as an effort toward healing and reconnecting with his fractured family. It confronts the duality of growing up with an alcoholic parent—the struggle to break free while remaining bound by a shared history—and the void left behind when the family’s unifying figure is gone. The work examines how addiction alters family dynamics, leaves lasting marks, and challenges the possibility of moving forward.
In Filling in the Gaps, Marcus combines his own images with archival family photographs. His visual language is raw yet stylized, documenting his father’s daily life and surroundings while also turning the camera toward himself, reflecting the tension between reality and memory. Altered family photos—taped or drawn over—become acts of reclamation, as he infuses inherited memories with his own voice.
Filling in the Gaps is an emotional exploration of trauma, showing how revisiting painful memories can open paths toward reconciliation and peace with the past.