/ 2015 / Portraiture / Self-Portrait

The swimmer - getting ready to win

  • Prize
    Bronze in Portraiture/Self-Portrait
  • Photographer
    Cecilia Colussi, United Kingdom

This is a triptych of self portraits talking about my past as an
athlete and showing the moments preceding
a swimming competition. I used to follow a precise chain of rituals
in order to find concentration and get
ready to win. There were only myself and my goal, everything
around me disappeared in the complete
darkness: no noise, no breath, nothing could distract my attention.

Originally from Padova, Italy, Cecilia received two MA’s in economics. After spending a decade working in the banking industry as an auditor, she moved from Italy to UK to pursue her passion in visual arts. She formally trained in photography, graduating in 2014 from Spéos Photographic Institute.

Growing up in the remarkably preserved medieval town of Padova, Cecilia has been breathing art since she was a child, surrounded by a quaint, though static, way of living. Thirsty of knowledge, she soon developed a genuine curiosity for everything that was far from her cultural heritage, devoting her travels to the study of anthropological aspects of diverse cultures with a focus on architecture.

Far from the celebrated landmarks, Cecilia pursues places that were built for purpose but taken over by time. She celebrates the evolved aesthetic of sites once abandoned. She captures these places in the rawness of their surrender to nature.

Cecilia currently lives in London, UK, where she works as freelance photographer.
The constantly changing urban landscape of London is a never ending source of inspiration and study for her.