Dear Love is the debut photographic monograph and intimate visual diary by Sarah Bahbah, the Palestinian-Australian artist renowned for her dreamlike, cinematic style and emotionally charged imagery that has captivated audiences across Instagram, fashion, and fine art. Blending still photography, lyrical text, and poetic narrative, this book is both a love letter and a confessional—an exploration of desire, vulnerability, healing, and self-reclamation through the lens of modern femininity.
Bahbah’s work is instantly recognizable for its 1970s–80s film aesthetic: saturated colors, soft focus, sun-drenched landscapes, and evocative portraiture often overlaid with handwritten subtitles that read like inner monologues or diary entries. In Dear Love, these elements coalesce into a nonlinear visual poem, structured as a series of imagined letters addressed to “Love” itself—sometimes tender, sometimes furious, always raw.
The book follows a nameless female protagonist (often portrayed by Bahbah herself or muses embodying her emotional state) as she moves through stages of romantic longing, betrayal, solitude, and ultimately, empowerment. Set against backdrops of coastal Australia, desert roads, and intimate interiors, the images feel at once nostalgic and contemporary, private yet universal.
Dear Love is a poignant and beautifully crafted manifesto on modern healing. Sarah Bahbah uses her signature blend of visual and written artistry to guide the reader through a deeply personal yet universally relatable exploration of what it means to truly love oneself as a foundation for loving others. It is a hopeful, raw, and visually stunning work that marks a significant maturation in her artistic and personal narrative.
“This book is for anyone who has ever loved too hard, hoped too much, or stayed too long—and still found their way back to themselves.”
— Sarah Bahbah
