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TOPshots 2022-23

Alice Donovan

(2022)

Untitled

2022 from the series Outside in pigment ink-jet prints 47.4 x 34.0 cm collection of the artist courtesy of the artist and Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak

My artwork is based on the idea of communicating issues relating to mental health, such as anxiety and depression and the negative effects these can have on young people because of the pressures put on them by contemporary society and social media. The title of this series represents how young people feel that they must pretend to be someone else and put on a front, not letting others see their true selves, but only what they want to be viewed as. Many mental health issues nowadays have direct connections with social media because young people are constantly comparing themselves to others and putting themselves down, and are often forced to present a different side of themselves to society and social media.

Remnants

2022 pigment ink-jet prints, cotton thread 61.0 x 61.0 cm collection of the artist courtesy of the artist and Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak

This artwork is a personal reflection on my own experience with overthinking, which often leads to an anxious state of mind. With holes torn into the photographic paper in no apparent pattern, the colourful tones of thread almost try to conceal the gaps, although still established by the viewer. Symbolising the intertwining nature of thoughts, the delicate thread when seen close up, is carefully sewn into the photographs with the added float mount giving dimension. Referencing my chosen theme of ‘inside’, I have created images that establish the power of the mind and thoughts in an ambiguous and highly creative manner.