Alys Tomlinson
b. 1975, United Kingdom
Alys Tomlinson’s (b. 1975) projects are often research-led. Alys is most interested in the relationship between people and place, exploring themes of environment, belonging, and identity. ‘Lost Summer’ began during the Covid lockdown when the artist was frustrated that she couldn’t travel to work on her existing projects. Once lockdown eased, she began to move around her neighbourhood, photographing the teenage children of local friends from her street and the surrounding area. The portraits show these young adults dressed and ready to attend their proms which were cancelled as a result of the pandemic. Instead of the usual setting of the school or hotel halls, the portraits were taken in their gardens and backyards in North London. The prom portraits capture the poignancy of a lost summer for teenagers who were unable to sit their school exams or mark this significant step in growing up and leaving school. Three works from ‘Lost Summer’ – ‘Samuel’, ‘Jameela’ and ‘Jack’ – won the 2020 Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize.