Jessie Edwards-Thomas

Sproxton Award for Photography - 2018 winner

Jessie Edwards-Thomas was born in Wales in 1991. She graduated from MA Photography at London College of Communication in 2018. Her artistic practice explores the individual through gender, mental health and the individual’s placement within society. In 2018 Jessie won the Sproxton Award for Photography. She also teaches at the University of the West of England and the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham.

Artist statement

The Polymorph is an imagined creature inspired by the symbols and structures of belonging and power in western society. However, The Polymorph is also a fragile, tangible, other creature composed of earthly materials.

The Polymorph is trapped in an age-old story, a narrative repeating itself over and over, searching for home - a place to be ‘me’ with ‘you’. The Polymorph was born from my unease with the representation of the individual today and more so the connection of the individual to others in society.

The Polymorph is a storybook that explores themes of loneliness and alienation. I turned to fiction, where imagination is power, crossing the borders of reality into myth.

Here the individual can venture into uncharted landscapes and become truly alien.

View more of Jessie's work at jessieedwardsthomas.co.uk.