National Photographic Portrait Prize 2021 Highly Commended
Isolation sent children into new territory: what to do with themselves; how to negotiate their four walls, sometimes battling anxiety; how to find playfulness; and resisting constant screen time. Tom needs to be on the move, to create worlds within worlds. He was diagnosed with ADHD, so lockdown was particularly challenging – being told to stay home and stay indoors was excruciating for him. Yet I found optimism within him when making this portrait. While the world retreated, Tom was reminding me happiness always exists within the simplest things.
Courtesy of the artist
© Julian Kingma