This series examines one of Carl Jung’s most compelling archetypes—the Puer Aeternus, or eternal youth—representing the universal impulse to preserve childhood’s boundless potential. In Jungian psychology, this figure embodies both creative spontaneity and arrested development, manifesting in those who resist life’s natural progression toward maturity and responsibility. These photographs reveal how this archetype emerges as a psychological force that shapes human behavior and social interaction within urban environments.
This work finds its mythological parallel in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan—the boy who refuses to grow up, forever dwelling in Neverland’s timeless realm. Through this cultural lens, the photographs illuminate the Puer Aeternus’s dual nature: its light aspect offers creativity, wonder, and freedom from convention, while its shadow side reveals patterns of escapism and emotional avoidance. These opposing forces create a psychological tension that Jung identified as crucial to understanding human development.
This exploration frames modern cities as containers for archetypal energy, where the eternal youth’s resistance to limitation finds expression in countless forms. The series transcends individual behavior to examine collective urban experience, revealing how ancient archetypal forces continue to shape contemporary life. These images invite viewers to consider their own relationship with aging, responsibility, and the persistent allure of perpetual beginning.
