This exhibition is a collection of candids and portraits exploring the daily lives of teenage girls in small towns across Australia, South Africa and the USA. It’s been more than a decade since I was a teenager growing up in regional Australia and yet I still feel such a strong connection to that stage of life.
Now a fully-fledged city dweller with a demanding job and all of the responsibilities that come with being a ‘grown-up’, I realise how unique those years in between childhood and adulthood actually were; a home surrounded by space and silence, a mind alive with possibilities, and emotions so completely raw.
Small Town Girl is a visual journey of remembering and discovery. As I walk alongside teenagers in Australia (where I grew up), South Africa (where I was supposed to grow up) and the USA (where I wanted to grow up), my own memories of adolescence are both validated and challenged. I’m fascinated by ordinary young women growing up in out of the way places. I want to know who they are and share in their experiences and I want to capture them in an intimate and poetic way.
Kickstart our month-long festival of the arts with music, photography, and community on the shores of the dazzling Bondi Beach. Be the first to know who won the 2024 Head On Photo Awards and get a taste of the photographs redefining visual storytelling.
Enthralling. Enchanting. Extraordinary. Discover exceptional photography for free around Sydney during the festival 8 Nov–1 Dec 2024