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National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024 Finalist
Emma Armstrong-Porter
born Australia 1986
Read the Room 2023
pigment photographic print on paper
‘I was diagnosed with Autism at age 30. Now 37, I find every day I’m learning more about how my brain diverges from the norm, especially in my relationships
with other people – 1) I love hard; 2) I’m very impulsive; 3) I can’t “read the room”. Not until I developed the film did I see
the tortured look on my partner Jess’ face. In that moment, I had really
thought that they were happy to see me. I’ve learned that the camera doesn’t lie, it reflects reality, but rarely does it tell the whole story.’
Emma Armstrong-Porter is an artist and educator who lives and works on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in Maldon, Victoria. Armstrong-Porter is known for their work across printmaking and chemistry-based photography.
The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.
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