Ellen Virgona's 'Four Seasons' photobook and exhibition is a collection of intimate photographs, she began capturing her world after the loss of her mother. "I felt an urgency to document as much as possible," she explains, "it was as if every instant had to be savoured. I began to photograph everything: loved ones, good moments, bad moments and the uncomfortable."
"In my family, it was rare to take photographs aside from on special occasions — a birthday, Christmas or the odd school event. After the loss of my mother, I felt an urgency to document as much as possible. It was as if every instant had to be savoured. I began to photograph everything — my friends, loved ones, good moments, bad moments and the uncomfortable."
Four Seasons collates these personal photographs, spanning the last 10 years. The images are placed into chapters ordered by the seasons as witnessed in different corners of the world.
"I often wonder if we can really recognise happiness without suffering? All things become more clear when compared. Seeing the dismal and the beautiful together in this way, laying them alongside each other like awkward cousins, has helped me learn to structure my grief. Like the seasons, mourning is cyclical. The only reliable thing about it is that it always resurges."
Ellen Virgona is a Sydney based artist working with the medium of photography. Completing her degree with First Class Honours from Sydney College of the Arts in 2013, Ellen has since exhibited multiple times across Sydney and abroad. She has worked in the realm of portraiture and fashion photography, collaborating with clients as Gucci, Tiffany & Co., and Miu Miu.
'Four Seasons' is her second exhibition installation with China Heights.
- Posted in 2022
- Tagged Ellen Virgona