| | | Michelle Sank
An Evolving Retrospective
My photography has always encompassed issues around social and cultural diversity. For the last 5 years I have photographed young people in different social contexts across the UK and Ireland. The portraits have been produced through a mix of street photography and youth group collaborations. By photographing in varying physical and social environments, I hope to capture the nuances, norms and sense of identity that are particular to and a reflection of youth within different societies today.
As a continuation of this I have also photographed older women, exploring the ageing process as something beautiful in itself and where body awareness and sensuality can still be enjoyed alongside the inner reflections and wisdom that accompany this stage of life.
I work independently as well as undertaking gallery residencies and commissions the most recent being Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Ireland, and the 2nd Fotofestival in Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg, Germany.
Bye Bye Baby
These portraits deal with the way young boys and girls interpret their understanding of masculinity and femininity within the milieu of our society today. Having left the purity of their childhood worlds, they seem to take on the trappings attributed to the grown ups they mimic.
The way they interact with the world around them in a purely physical sense, as well as in a social and psychological one, has been of continuing interest to me.
Teenagers Belfast
These portraits are from a series called which was commissioned by Belfast Exposed Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2005.
The remit was to empower these teenagers with a sense of individuality and to locate them within environments that bear no reference to the political struggles or past emblems of this. I wanted to portray these young people as normal teenagers, positive symbols of a new and developing society although still showing signs of a specific culture in the dress, the buildings, the light, the landscapes.
Into the Arms of Babes
England has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe and this statistic continues to be a growing concern in our society today. In this project I am exploring the current phenomenon of teenage mothers, and in some cases, teenage parents.
Essentially these young carers feel like children themselves, and it is this vulnerability that I hope to convey in the images. I am also interested in showing the relationship and bonding that can, and does exist, between young parent and child. Finally I hope to reveal the dynamics that are apparent between the mother, her partner and the extended family.
Young Carers
These images are from a project about Young Carers, children under the age of 18 who are often the main carers for a sick parent or sibling. In addition to performing daily household tasks like washing, bathing, cooking and shopping, they also have to cope with the additional pressure of school. Because they are different, they are often exposed to bullying from schoolmates and as a result lack a sense of identity as an individual in their own right.
With these portraits, I wanted to empower these young people with a sense of their own identity and normality. I wanted to remove them from their home environment and place them with ‘light’ and outside spaces. By getting them to dress in something they chose and to be themselves, I think for that moment in time they felt special, grounded and free.
Endgame
These portraits were undertaken at a rehabilitation centre for adolescent boys who have offended and/or been in prison. During the photographic process a dialogue was established which created a sense of trust on both sides. This enabled them to express their individuality, something that has been denied to them most of their lives and thereafter in prison.
Celestial Echoes
These portraits deal with the way young boys and girls interpret their understanding of masculinity and femininity within the milieu of our society today. Having left the purity of their childhood worlds, they seem to take on the trappings attributed to the grown ups they mimic.
The way they interact with the world around them in a purely physical sense, as well as in a social and psychological one, has been of continuing interest to me.
Michelle Sank (September 2007)
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