I’ve been told that you never truly leave behind the place you grew up. That it remains deep within your experience of the world. Feeling conflicted about one’s place of origin is certainly not unique, but for me, the process of returning ‘home’ and reconciling my perception of place with its banal and vernacular reality was a surprising yet cathartic experience. Belco Pride is a series of photographs that explores how belonging, connection and identity can emerge from a specific place. The place depicted here being the 25 northernmost suburbs of Canberra known as Belconnen, or to us locals, as ‘Belco’.

 Within this body of work Lee Grant seeks to reveal the intricacies of living in suburbs that may be dismissed by many but cherished by some. A place where its residents take ownership of where they are from, a place that can engender a sense of pride so strong it is literally written onto the body.