Madeleine Fogliani, Work in Progress (PEOPLE 2025)

Fill his shoes, be the handy man, do what needs to be done. Nine years ago my father passed away after a fourteen month battle with cancer, leaving me with a responsibility I thought I had - to take care of my mother as I was the only one left at home. If I couldn’t save my dad, then I would save my mum. I became the man of the house. I thought that was what it meant to love, to care for the ones you love. With immense self-discovery and introspection over the last two years, I’ve come to realise that I was holding on to this role because letting go of it meant letting go of him and the person I became in becoming him. This self-portrait project offers an exploration of identity, family, love and death, capturing the complex nature of grief and the responsibilities that shape the course of one’s life.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.