Open Theme nominee

These images are extracted from my series “A/Part”, which draws on my experience of living with the burden of a family secret as a child.

It charts my journey from pain to surviving to thriving through a succession of constructed-reality images that tackle feelings others may also identify with.

Using a constant – if sometimes abstract and fragmented – female subject, the series is intended to show the push and pull between interior and exterior life.

The full, 12-image series begins with feeling “different” from other people and a nascent understanding of shame and consequent self-isolation. It progresses onto a realization of and longing for an absent person, and conflicting feelings of self-sufficiency and yet never being “good enough”. Finally, there is a tentative going-out into the world, and resolution. The colour palette also shifts, becoming brighter and more vivid as the series progresses, and as resolution is achieved.

The images submitted here are: Shame, Secrecy, Self-Sufficiency, Striving, and Resolution.

Rachel Nixon is a British-Canadian fine art photographer – and former journalist – based in Vancouver.

Having lived and worked across continents and cultures, Rachel explores issues such as a desire for connection with one’s heritage, and the wider world. She also considers themes of secrecy, isolation and memory.

Inspired by the potential of natural forms to offer unexpected perspectives, Rachel uses strategies including abstraction and fragmentation to bring these to the viewer’s attention.

In 2019, Rachel graduated with honours from the VanArts professional photography program in Vancouver. Her work has been exhibited internationally and received accolades including two Julia Margaret Cameron Awards for abstract photography.

Before committing full-time to visual art, Rachel had a 20-year career as a journalist and executive in the UK, US and Canada for organizations including the BBC, CBC and Microsoft where she developed and ran digital news services. Her passion for storytelling and innovation now extend to her visual work.

Rachel holds a first-class degree from the University of Oxford in Modern Languages, and is fluent in French and German. Her international experience brings with it a unique perspective on questions of identity, place and belonging, and the connections we share despite polarized times.