Poetic Portraits

Poetic Portraits is a community-engaged project between RMIT University and Yarra Ranges Council that brings together poetry and illustration. Edited by Jessica Wilkinson and Cassandra Atherton, the project aims to use poetry to connect and instil a sense of sharing and belonging. The resulting exhibition and anthology capture the transformative potential of poetry to combat harmful, ageist stereotypes through the sharing of lived experiences.

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Artist Statement

Writing poetry is a vulnerable, intimate labour of love, yet ultimately poems are meant to be shared. Through delicate, nuanced line drawing, my work honours the emotional act of baring thoughts and feelings, of laying life on paper. By sharing the catalyst for their poems with me, in the form of a treasured object or a yellowing photograph, each poet generously invited me to step into their world, allowing me to layer new meaning to their words. Through emotive strokes, rich textures and thoughtful compositions, the poems are enhanced, inviting readers to draw subtle links between words and images: a moving phrase resonating with a gentle line, an evocative verse with vivid imagery. Yet enough mystery remains in the gaps between poem and illustration to invite each reader’s unique interpretation of both.

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