
Blush. 2018
Blush is taken from the series “Selfhood”. The series “Selfhood” is in part inspired by the proverb “The eyes are the window to the soul” and a desire to challenge the need to see the eyes within a portrait. The intention in each portrait is to create a character and a narrative and encourage an empathy without the visual stimulation of the eyes.
The conscious composition of each image gives the character a foundation in reality whilst combining fantastical creative elements to challenge the viewer’s preconceptions surrounding the connotations of each individual outfit and distinctive concealment of the eyes.
The viewer is inspired to make their own inferences about the subject’s persona and circumstance by drawing on personal connections and interpretations to each image, whether these be from memory or culture. Therefore each portrait in the series can take on a number of different identities depending on links made by the viewer to their own experiences and opinions.

La Souris Femelle. 2016
La Souris Femelle is taken from the series “Selfhood”. The series “Selfhood” is in part inspired by the proverb “The eyes are the window to the soul” and a desire to challenge the need to see the eyes within a portrait. The intention in each portrait is to create a character and a narrative and encourage an empathy without the visual stimulation of the eyes.
The conscious composition of each image gives the character a foundation in reality whilst combining fantastical creative elements to challenge the viewer’s preconceptions surrounding the connotations of each individual outfit and distinctive concealment of the eyes.
The viewer is inspired to make their own inferences about the subject’s persona and circumstance by drawing on personal connections and interpretations to each image, whether these be from memory or culture. Therefore each portrait in the series can take on a number of different identities depending on links made by the viewer to their own experiences and opinions.

Green Light, Cabin Free.. 2016
Green Light, Cabin Free is taken from the series “Not In Kansas”. “Not In Kansas” is a staged series of photographs inspired by the tenacious, self-reliant character Dorothy from the story The Wizard of Oz. Having grown up watching, admiring and being inspired by this character, whose journey of self discovery overcomes fear and loneliness to become em- powered and assertive in a strange land, I chose to create narratives which blur the boundaries between fantasy and truth, offering scenarios within which the protagonist wrestles with feelings of confidence, determination and boldness but is conflicted with ideas of isolation, loneliness, detachment and fear.
Each image is staged in different locations and contexts to explore and illustrate and emphasis these themes. Without being overtly prescriptive, each scenario asks questions to which the answers depend on the viewer’s own personal perceptions.
The images are composed to simulate a sense of simultaneous coalition of elements of a before or after moment, with a deliberate ambiguity which only the viewer can resolve and further contextualise.
Note: The text above was written by the Artist. No modification was made by C.O.C.A.
United Kingdom
Vicky Martin is an award winning fine art photographer based in the UK. Although she studied art and photography in the 1990s it was not until 2008 when she was awarded a prestigious Rhubarb Rhubarb Bursary that she was able to pursue photography full time. Since then Vicky has had her work published and exhibited nationally and internationally: from Europe to the USA in solo and group shows. Her work continues to garner many awards and nominations, including Winner of the Fine Art Category in the 2016 Fine Art Photography Awards. Throughout Vicky's practice she explores her fascination with identity and the emotions that are created by considered scenarios that are based in both fantasy and reality.