“I speak English even though that’s not ‘my language’, and I reference Western visual iconography even though that’s ‘not mine’”
A tong Atem is amid something of a whirlwind when she picks up the phone to Vogue. Speaking from the set of her photo shoot for the magazine [see page 30] with her mother, Anna, and sister, Nancy – where the three women wear colourful, Australian-designed clothes that Atem played a hand in selecting – the Melbourne-based artist is full of newfound gratitude for the women who helped shape her, spurred by their moment in front of the camera.
“My sister and my mum are probably the closest people to me in my life. I’ve photographed them individually separately, and in the past have thought about doing a group photo or
