THE Ballarat International Foto Biennale has celebrated young emerging photographers with the recent announcement of winners in the GradFoto 2021 exhibition.<\/p>\n
Showcasing contemporary works of 20 university graduate finalists, GradFoto was chosen by a panel of professional curators and artists, with Meg De Young awarded for her series, The Conversations We Have<\/em>.<\/p>\n The judges released a collective statement reflecting on De Young\u2019s work.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something wonderfully deadpan about this serious yet tender series of performed images by Meg De Young,\u201d the judges said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe images are playful but also have a sense of underlying tension. There is a mixture of tenderness and distance, mimicry and truth, highlighting the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cThe images are absurdly compelling and the theory behind them is dark and tempting.\u201d<\/p>\n Carriageworks\u2019 director of programs Daniel Mudie Cunningham, curators Alasdair Foster, Sunyoung Kim, Talia Linz, Pippa Milne, Talia Smith, and Mad\u00e9 Spencer-Castle, artist David Wadelton, and former BIFB artistic director and CEO Fiona Sweet were the judging panel.<\/p>\n Nineteen universities were represented throughout the GradFoto process including Federation University Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cGradFoto 2021 shows how related institutions and bodies can support young creators who still need strong motivation to pursue their professional career as visual artists,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n