A series of black and white drawings by artist Ella Webber. Born and raised in Toronto, Webber’s practice examines the unstable terrain of intimacy, using fragmented imagery to explore attachment, anxiety, and perception. Through layered compositions, abstracted personal imagery, and illustrated accounts of memories, the work moves between psychological realism and dreamlike abstraction.

“This body of work explores the emotional instability and longing for belonging that can define young adulthood. Through diary-like compositions that combine text and image, I examine the small fears, fantasies, and emotional negotiations involved in finding one’s place in the world. Recurring themes of anxiety, attachment, intimacy and displacement intersect with ideas of childhood and home, where domestic spaces and personal memories become psychologically charged. Moving between tenderness and unease, the works function as fragmented visual narratives that reflect on how we rewrite, preserve, and internalize emotional experiences.”

Ella Webber participated in our 2026 Book Award open call and made our shortlist.