Conceptual nominee

A passport was the first thing that came into my mind when starting this project, as I perceive it to be a document used to prove ones national identity. But does a passport reveal the true identity of its owner? Researching the collapse of countries after the end of the cold war I started questioning the identity of many people that their country dissolved. What did they become? How were they affected as a whole? Did they feel they were no longer part of the society? What barriers did they have to deal with?I also wanted to explore the idea of the passport’s photo and its connection with the identity of its owner and started questioned the passport’s photograph representing the truthfulness of its subject. Today’s guidelines for a passport photo in England specify that no tinted glasses, no headscarves, no uniforms are to be worn and that the image must show the person from top of the head to the bottom of the chin. But has that been the case in the past? I purchased a number of expired/invalid passports from countries that no longer existed and photographed them, exploring a number of ideas. My aim was to challenge the viewer to consider identifying with somebody who no longer has a national identity and to reflect on their own. Having produced a number of photographs for this project, I now feel that I have succeeded presenting my idea in each photo of this series. Using the passports as my focus had immediately opened up the contemporary subject of National Identity. It is now up to the viewer to read deeper and understand the full intention behind this series.

I have spent seven years as a photography student and have just passed my HND. I recently managed and curated my own exhibition alongside other photographers at the Kings Road Gallery in Chelsea London. My work has also been exhibited at the Candid Arts, Islington, London as well as three times at the BlankWall Gallery in Athens. The work I am entering today was exhibited at the Chania International Photo Festival in August and am a proud owner of a certificate. This same body of work has recently been given an honourable mention in Fine Art: Conceptual Category At the ND Awards 2020. I am also a winner in the 1864 and British Journal of Photography edition 365, and my work is currently showing in the online exhibition