His Invisible Presence

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Photographer

Natcha Wongchanglaw
Prize

3rd Place / Book/Monograph
University/School

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Date of Photograph

2022
Socials
Website

https://natchaw.com/

Life is far too short. Until my father unexpectedly passed away, I never understood it. From the moment he fell ill until his passing, I was present for the entire event and observed it take place. The shared experiences of 'we' persist, creating a void when a loved one is gone. Influenced by 19th-century spirit photography, the work explores this persistent connection we feel with the departed. Using my personal experience to illustrate how my late father has passed, yet his presence is still felt everywhere, I wish to investigate the subject of my loved one's invisible presence in this work.

Biography

Natcha Wongchanglaw, a Thailand-born, US-based visual artist, explores themes of home, culture, community, and identity. Her work has been featured in national and international exhibitions, including LensCulture New York 2022, and the RPS International Photography Exhibition 164 in the UK, where she was awarded the IPE. She was also a winner of the Nikon Photo Contest 2022-2023. Wongchanglaw received her master's degree in digital photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York and recently received her MFA in Art Studio at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Awards

2024 SPE Student Award for Innovations in Imaging, Society for Photographic Education, Saint Louis, MO 2023 Honorable Award, Small Works Art Competition, Wood River Heritage Council, Woodriver, IL 2023 Nancy Wilson Award, The 2023 Friends of Art Auction, Edwardsville, IL 2023 Photo Story Category Winner, Nikon Photo Contest 2022-2023, Nikon Photo Contest 2023 Art Service Club Award, Annual Student Juried Exhibition curated by Francesca Passanise, SIUE Art and Design, Edwardsville, IL 2022 Honorable Mention, 2022 Tokyo International Foto Awards, Farmani Group, Tokyo, Japan 2022 IPE Award, International Photography Exhibition 164, The Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, UK 2022 Selected Top 100, EAW XXXV, The Eddie Adams Workshop, Jeffersonville, NY 2022 Sculpture on Campus Grant, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 2022 Annual Dr. Orville Joyner Photography/Digital Arts Award, Dr. Joyner and family, Edwardsville, IL 2022 Photo Club Award, Annual Student Juried Exhibition curated by Paula Lincoln, SIUE Art and Design, Edwardsville, IL 2021 Honorable Mention, 2021 Tokyo International Foto Awards, Farmani Group, Tokyo, Japan 2021 Merit Award, Small Works Art Competition, Wood River Heritage Council, Woodriver, IL 2021 Honorable Mention, 2021 Moscow International Foto Awards, Farmani Group, Los Angeles, CA 2021 Geographic Enhancement Award (GEO), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 2021 Winner, 2020 Tokyo International Foto Awards, Farmani Group, Tokyo, Japan 2020 Winner, Critics’ Choice Award 2020, LensCulture, Amsterdam, Netherlands (Selected by Joanna Milter, Director of Photography, The New Yorker) 2020 Grand Prize Winner, Fujifilm Students of Storytelling, Fujifilm North America, Valhalla, NY at 2005 Third Place & Honorable Mention, The Big Picture Project, Newaygo County Council for the Arts, Fremont, MI