Raphaela Rosella is an Italian-Australian artist based in Meanjin/Brisbane. She holds a Bachelor of Photography with first class honours from the Queensland College of Art (2012), a diploma of Community Services (Case Management) (2014), a Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Trauma and Recovery Practice (2019) and is a PhD candidate at RMIT’s School of Art.
Her practice draws from her lived experiences of being raised in Nimbin - an over-policed, low socioeconomic community in New South Wales, Australia. Working at the intersections of socially engaged art and documentary practice, she has spent many years co-creating photo-based projects alongside significant women in her life. Their collective efforts span various mediums, such as photography, moving image, audio, and the collection of state-issued documents and ephemera, forming a co-created archive.
Rosella has exhibited extensively including: Photoquai (France), Noorderlicht Photofestival (Netherlands) and Photo Ireland (Ireland). In 2014 she was one of 12 photographers selected worldwide to attend World Press Photo’s prestigious Joop Swart Masterclass held in Amsterdam. Her work has received many distinctions including: First Prize (Portrait Singles Category) World Press Photo Contest (2015) and Australian Photobook of the Year (Momentro Pro) (2015).
In addition to her personal work, Raphaela works as a community artist and youth mentor with non-profit community arts and cultural development organisation Beyond Empathy. BE uses art to influence change in the lives of young people and communities experiencing recurring hardship.
