"The initial concept of my piece ‘Serena Williams’ was to create a portrait that represented a strong and influential female figure in today’s media, inspired by the artists’ Vincent Fantauzzo and Sarah McCloskey. The decision to create a portrait of someone well-known was inspired by the finalists in the Archibald prize; portraiture focussed around a specific person whom the artist deemed inspirational or significant. Williams was selected as the subject of my portraiture due to her positive role in preaching body positivity and racial equality in the world of sport. The portrait has the ability to express Williams’ resilient values of humanity through her fame and recognition of the wide community. ‘Serena Williams’ is aimed to identify Williams in a strong yet feminine light, while also portraying beauty and breaking the way she is perceived as masculine due to her strong athleticism."

View Melody's practitioners statement [PDF 38KB]