Show and Tell: Photography for life not likes

Out of a staggering 34,531 entries, 4 St Mary’s students, Masha I., Olivia B., and Sofia A. in Year 13 and Gemma M. in Year 9, have had their artworks selected for inclusion in The Photography Movement’s 2022 Show and Tell online exhibition of just 98 works on the theme of ‘capturing emotions’. You can view the full exhibition here. 

The Photography Movement is a non-profit organisation founded to help all humankind express their feelings and emotions around mental health through the medium of photography. In 2020 they created their first ‘Show and Tell’ exhibition, at a time when we faced crisis and national lockdowns due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. This was a free photography programme designed to reach 10–18-year-olds and to support their mental health. Two years on, the exhibition continues to be relevant to all those facing mental health considerations and concerns due to world affairs. Several of our Art and Photography students therefore worked with Ms Conroy to develop and refine outcomes that could be entered into the 2022 ‘Show and Tell’ exhibition on ‘capturing emotion’ through photography. Students also learned how the visual arts can aid mental well-being.

From those 98 finalists, the judges then chose 15 winners whose work will be used in a national billboard campaign highlighting young people’s mental health. Sofia A.’s work, ‘Radiance in Tears’, has won the honour of being used for this campaign. We are extremely proud of Sofia’s achievement and look forward to seeing her work on billboards across the country during April.

Sofia A. said:

‘I’m truly honoured that my work was chosen to champion such an important message. I created this image to try and show that not all tears are the same. In fact, crying can represent strength, affection, loss, love, laughter, sorrow, pity, and more. Through tears, we can express a myriad of emotions.’ 

Caroline Hunter, The Guardian Picture Editor said, 'I loved the collage effect of this portrait that includes the mix of 'tears' with a touch of the surreal. The joyful-looking background could be stars on a moonlight sky - showing us how complex and nuanced our emotions can be.'

For Ms Conroy, Head of Art, 'This year our Art and Photography students have joined us in championing the importance of mental well-being and the important role the Visual Arts can play in supporting this. We are immensely proud of Sofia, Masha, Olivia, and Gemma.’ 

Find out more about art at St Mary’s here.