SVETLANA BAILEY // BOWNESS PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE

                Svetlana Bailey_Utah_ 2015_from the series All dreams come true_pigment ink-jet print_114.0 x 91.0 cm

Artereal Gallery congratulates Svetlana Bailey who was selected as one of 47 finalists for The Bowness Photography Prize 2015. 

Established in 2006 to promote excellence in photography, the annual non-acquisitive William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize is an initiative of the MGA Foundation. The Bowness Photography Prize has quickly become Australia's most coveted photography prize. It is also one of the country's most open prizes for photography. In the past, finalists have included established and emerging photographers, art and commercial photographers.

Svetlana works with images or artifacts that I find, such as on walls, billboards or shop window displays. They present an alternative reality, and I photograph them with their surroundings, and flatten these two spaces into one. Often the images I find are a montage, creating a reality that never truly existed. I collect them into a personal global album of images created by strangers in response to a common dream. Perhaps their makers considered place and interpreted its environment and beliefs, or were trying to shape our perception of reality. I wonder if these images exist for us or against us, if they beautify our life or mislead us, and if believing in their deception adds to our satisfaction.

This year marks the 10th edition of the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize. On Thursday 1 October the winner will be announced as the $25,000 winner of the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize.

To keep updated visit the Bowness Prize Facebook.