Penny Halsall

Photography is often seen as a medium of truth, but its shifting and ambiguous nature challenges this idea. A photograph can be many things at once, a document, a memory, or a portal through time, making photographs emotionally powerful and open to interpretation. By highlighting the physical qualities of an image, I aim to question traditional expectations of photography and its meanings.

Using collage, overpainting, mark-making, and image blending, I create surreal and conceptual work that explores themes like adolescence, the misrepresentation of youth, and the virtual human experience. While not overtly activist, my practice quietly raises awareness, inviting reflection and emotional connection through abstraction and ambiguity.

I am currently in the second year of an MA in Photography at Falmouth University, where I also earned my BA. Based in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, my work spans animation, short films, photographic sequences, and still imagery.