Congratulations to Year 12 student Alessi D’Andrea, who has been awarded the opportunity to showcase her photography work in TOPshots 2016 – 2017.

As one of 21 students who has been shortlisted to display work, it is an outstanding accomplishment for Alessi to be part of this exciting and well-celebrated exhibition at the Monash Gallery of Art, the home of Australian Photography. The Monash Gallery of Art supports emerging artists, with an annual award and exhibition for the best photomedia work produced by students of VCE Art, Media, Studio Arts and IB Visual Arts in the previous year.

Alessi D’Andrea
VCE Studio Arts Unit 1&2
Our bodies 2016
From the series Our bodies Two ink-jet prints 60.0×42.0cm, 42.0×30.0cm
Reproduction courtesy of the artist and Melbourne Girls Grammar

Artist Statement: I was influenced to create this piece by social media/society and how it trains young girls to believe certain ideals on body shapes, and what is deemed beautiful. Through this influence, I explored the confinement/restriction of women and their bodies in my work. I used a tube of stretchy material to show the confinement of women’s bodies and how the ideals of society are constricting them.

The idea to use myself as the focus of the images came as inspiration from Clare Rae and Francesca Woodman. They also use themselves as the subject of their images to explore their themes and notions. Their performative body language highlights the human condition.