Works by Cristina Ulloa Sobarzo

I took this photo early this year in Anglesea, along the Great Ocean Road, while the fires were raging across New South Wales and Victoria. The smoke hung low, forming an unwelcome blanket above us. The fact that I was able to take this image is a testament to how lucky I was to be able to visit the beach in relative safety – to not live or have family in the bushfire areas.

There’s a feeling of guilt that comes with that too. While beach-goers are submerged in the cold ocean waters, thousands of acres of land are burned, homes and families destroyed – many people still reeling from its effects today. The strange eeriness of this photo is the fact that life goes on, even during such devastation.

I took this photo in 2019 –a year that feels so far away. I had forgotten that I had taken it, and only found it again just recently. I remember the joyful feeling around this image and the ready anticipation one feels with friends right before a concert is set to start. Now, looking at it a year later, I am filled with nostalgia, and a curiosity as to how these big events might play out in the future.

This photo is of one of my closest friends, and I think it really captures the vulnerable intimacy that we find in female friendships. To be so relaxed and entirely comfortable with someone is not easy for me and takes a lot of time, which is why I really appreciate the friendships that I have now.