ICP Teen Academy
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Nina Davis
My project focuses on the different lives of girls and gender non-conforming youth in New York City. I was inspired to create this project by my friends and the people around me after I began to think about how different all our individual experiences are. This project really began in 2019 during a Street Photography class, but has taken its true form now. I use collage and other alternative processes, such as digital manipulation, to express how I see these narratives in my imagination. Although we are all around the same age, we come from very different backgrounds and have grown up quite differently. This range of experiences is something I find to be unique to New York City, since in other parts of the country communities can feel much more sheltered. Through creating this series, I have learned more about my friends and loved ones, allowing me to better understand their struggles and victories.
Nina Davis is a mixed media photographer. She works with digital and physical collage to create analog and digital images. She is from São Paulo, Brazil and Brooklyn, New York, and started photography in middle school while living in São Paulo. Currently she is a junior at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn. She is in the Teen Academy Imagemakers program at the International Center of Photography (ICP) and has taken several classes in their Teen Academy. Her work is inspired by many colors and street photographers such as William Eggleston and Dash Snow. She is interested in showing identity and personal struggles through her work including family dynamics, school, and relationships, leading her to adopt a more alternative style. Nina won one Gold Key and two Silver Keys in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her work. Her work was exhibited at the ICP Museum as a part of the ICP Projected series. Nina has also been featured in Loser Zine and the Ram Mag.