Photographers Selected for SFCA Art Exhibition

Three photographers from Solihull Sixth Form College have had their artwork selected for the online Sixth Form Colleges Association Art Exhibition 2026.

The theme for this year's SFCA Art competition was Artistes sans Frontières, a reflection of the Médecins sans Frontières charity. The theme was open to interpretation, allowing sixth form students from across the UK freedom to represent that theme without constraint. A level Photography learners Flora Astbury, Orla McGarry and Tess Dennis had their work selected to be part of the exhibition.

Flora's photographs portrayed the loss of creative freedom between childhood and adulthood. She photographed models in settings and poses that might challenge typical expectations of their age and used of mixed media elements, such as drawings and collage to emphasise the theme of creativity and make the images more visually interesting and colourful.

For Orla, her work explored the relationship between humans and nature, emphasizing its dominance, untouched power, and the idea that humans must adapt to nature rather than try to control it. She chose spaces such as caves, mountains and remote terrain because of the challenge they pose, forcing individuals to navigate the limits of the body and environment.

Meanwhile, Tess's artwork portrayed the bias women still face, particularly in the world of work. She communicated this visually by physically covering women with negative statements, expressing the ideas of how women are often negatively ‘rubber stamped’.

Creative Arts Curriculum Leader Zoe Maksymiw commented:

"Well done to all our young people for their entries for the SFCA Competition 2026. They worked really hard on their interpretation of the brief and produced some really interesting responses. Flora, Orla and Tess deserve special congratulations for being selected to the online exhibition."

10 June 2026