{"product_id":"maph-photography-fair-2026-mia-pignataro-play-it-as-it-lays","title":"Mia PIGNATARO: Play it as it lays","description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"nrbje\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2026 MAPh Photography Fair\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"nrbje\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMia PIGNATARO\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlay it as it lays \u003c\/strong\u003e2025\u003cbr\u003epigment ink-jet print\u003cbr\u003e42.0 x 59.4 cm\u003cbr\u003ecollection of the artist\u003cbr\u003ecourtesy of the artist\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"nrbje\"\u003eThis artwork was a finalist in our annual TOPshots competition and exhibition held in the MAPh Atrium Gallery, \u003cspan\u003e11 March – 4 May 2026.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTOPshots 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist statement\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlay It as It Lays\u003c\/em\u003e was created on Wurundjeri land, inside a house that feels half-forgotten; peeling paint, cracked walls, the scent of rain and old smoke still lingering. In this fractured space, I placed friends of mine, girls caught between adolescence and adulthood. They wait, they wander, they look both at home and out of place. Sometimes they appear uncertain,\u003cbr\u003esometimes luminous, always suspended in that restless space between fragility and resilience. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThese photographs are not staged or polished; they reveal a different kind of beauty raw, unguarded, and easily missed. I want viewers to experience the same pause I did: the recognition that even in neglected places, and in fleeting expressions, something quietly extraordinary can emerge.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MAPh","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50973904404713,"sku":null,"price":150.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/1718\/0205\/files\/MiaPIGNATARO.jpg?v=1778033054","url":"https:\/\/shop.maph.org.au\/products\/maph-photography-fair-2026-mia-pignataro-play-it-as-it-lays","provider":"MAPh Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}