Madeleine BARÉ Inventing Reality 2025 pigment ink-jet print unframed 60.0 x 88.0 cm ed. 1/1 collection of the artist courtesy of the artist
This artwork was a finalist in our annual TOPshots competition and exhibition held in the MAPh Atrium Gallery, 11 March – 4 May 2026.
TOPshots is an annual celebration of emerging photo-media artists selected from a large pool of entries. 2026 marks the 18th anniversary of this award and exhibition, which showcases exceptional photographic work produced by students who have completed the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) subjects of Art Making and Exhibiting, Art Creative Practice and Media, as well as the International Baccalaureate (IB) subject of Visual Arts and the Vocational Education and Training (VET) subject of Visual Arts.
Artist statement
This work was taken at Port Douglas Beach, Far North Queensland. It captures a glimpse of a place that no other person could witness, where the ordinary becomes exotic and the known becomes unknown. By bending what is real into what could be, the image invite viewers to step beyond recognition and into imagination. It asks us to see the world not only as it is, but as it might exist in another state. Inventing reality is not about escaping the world, but about re-seeing it and discovering the magic in its folds, edges, and limitless horizons.
