‘It’s in unexpected places that you will find exactly what you’re looking for’: Meet VCA graduating artist Tess Rogers

Bachelor of Fine Arts student Tess Rogers explores the way fabric can evoke lost emotions and memories in her latest photography series, inspecting the boundaries of social reproduction and femininity. We spoke to Tess ahead of the 2024 VCA Art Grad Show.

Hi Tess, could you start by introducing your work in the VCA Art Grad show?

Within my photographs for the Grad Show, beds, sheets, doonas and clothing fold into one another to fracture time and hold space for reflection. There’s both a fragility and resilience in these time capsules.

Many of the photographs crop into themselves, removing context, but leaving remnants of texture, light and feeling, echoing the nostalgia of hand-me-downs and my grandma’s quilts.

What inspires your creative practice?

Making photographs that connect me back to a feeling is always inspiring to me, and to offer a place to connect people with their own lost memories. My practice is influenced by my family photo albums, the linen closet, the clothes we share, my Mum’s old jewellery box. I’m influenced by questions like: ‘when and how do we allow ourselves to unfold lost emotions?’

How has your practice evolved during your studies?

Thinking back to when I first began this degree, I was really only working in photography and video. I now feel confident producing work across multiple media. Even within photography itself I have a much more expansive practice and knowledge of material. Learning how to produce chromogenic prints in the colour darkroom especially has helped me evolve so much.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to study a Bachelor of Fine Arts?

It’s easy for self-doubt and imposter syndrome to get in the way of exploring your practice, especially at the start of the degree. I would trust that you are surrounded by people who are here to support and encourage you. Try to immerse yourself as much as you can in the opportunities the course has to offer; extra workshops, artist talks and more. It’s in unexpected places that you will find exactly what you’re looking for, so try everything.

How does it feel to be graduating? 

There is a bittersweetness to graduating. You are with the same group of students for three years so there is a really nice community that forms. You get to know each other’s practice in an intimate way that’s really special. I plan on applying for the Honours program here to further my art and research practice.

Why is art important in today’s world?

Art is essential to help people make sense of themselves and the world around them. It brings community together, which I think now more than ever, we really need.

You can view Tess’s work at the 2024 VCA Art Grad Show on display from 22–28 November at the University of Melbourne Southbank campus. Open between 11am–5pm daily. Plan your visit.

Discover the Bachelor of Fine Art (Visual Art) at the University of Melbourne.