Portraits in Transformation by Billeigh Flowers

Change is complex and each of us manage it differently. Change weaved its way through my childhood, moving from Sydney to Brisbane to Toowoomba, with a final move back to Brisbane in 2022. I remember Brisbane as a young child and the connection I started to develop with the city. However, after a six-year interlude in Toowoomba, my return to Brisbane came at a time of personal change which brought complex emotions. In “Portraits in Transformation” I explore my processing of these emotions through a series of self-portraits that express my emotional change which parallels my geographical move. This artwork communicates the isolation of living in a new city, feelings of murky sadness and anger, my reconnection with Brisbane, and finding stability again – the canvas painted white to represent a clean slate of possibility.