Lilli Waters

Lilli Waters (born 1983 NSW) is a fine arts photographer whose work explores the human condition through dramatic images of the female form in haunting landscapes. Her images have a painterly quality, evoking the Pre-Raphaelites with macabre, foreboding elements; a jewel-like palette; and a sensitive use of light.

These images initially appear to represent a romantic idea of beauty and an equivalence between the fertility of the female body and the landscape. Yet in the era of ‘Me Too’ and ecological crisis, Waters’ work offers a critical feminine gaze. Her portraits allude to the conundrum of simply being in a woman’s skin: of how to express physical agency and ease in a society that constantly objectifies women and irrevocably wreaks damage on the environment.

Her images have appeared in publications around the globe as well as in the feature films Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. She has been a finalist in Fisher’s Ghost Art Award (2020), Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize (2020), Du Reitz Art Awards (2020), Percival Photographic Art Prize (2020), National Portrait Prize (2019), Australian Photography Awards (2018) and Art Aesthetica Art Award (2018).