MENG-YU YAN AND VEDIKA RAMPAL Highly Commended Finalists in the Olive Cotton Award

June 29, 2023

Meng-Yu Yan and Vedika Rampal have been recognised as Highly Commended finalists in the Olive Cotton Award for Photographic Portraiture at Tweed Regional Gallery! The major biennial acquisitive prize is selected from entrants across Australia and is a significant opportunity for established and emerging photographers. The winner will be announced on Saturday 15th July. The finalist works will be on show at the gallery from 14.07. – 24.09.23.

Meng-Yu’s ‘Another Ruin VI’ received praise for being a complex portrait that “distils surrealism, spirit photography and social media commentary on the fragmentation of identity in our image-saturated world”. A series of their self-portraits are available to view via the DMG website as part of their online show ‘Heaven; just another ruin’. Vedika’s ‘My mother dreams of Ghalib’ explores how diasporic longing often manifests through role-play within the security of the domestic space. The artist will also be launching her first solo exhibition with DMG in September – watch this space!

Image captions: Meng-Yu Yan, ‘Another Ruin VI’, 2023, digital photographic print on textured cotton rag paper, 59.4 x 84.1cm | Vedika Rampal, ‘My mother dreams of Ghalib’, 2021, pigment print, 60 x 84cm