Lara Gilks, Beneath the Ice (Portrait (2019))

As a child I spent my winters in Central Otago, New Zealand where we would visit a small lake that was iced over – Diamond Lake. I loved the beauty of the winter environment and the exhilaration of being on the ice - but was also extremely fearful and anxious of falling through it. The most vulnerable area of the lake was the edge with the reeds and winter flowers. I would imagine falling through the ice and reaching out for the plants to save me. That conflict between being drawn to exhilaration and fighting fear, beauty and tragedy, was a constant marker in my younger life and in many respects has carried through to my adult experience. Through these images I wanted to revisit and uncover that fear of being trapped beneath the ice – bringing together beauty and tragedy – reflecting a process of shock, terror, resistance, acceptance and finally a return to peace. The images seek to capture that final moment in the conflict – a return to the beauty and peace

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.