Abbie Holbrook's ANU Graduating exhibition body of work, Holding Space, comprises of a series of soft sculptural textiles banners that put forward the story of unpacking and unlearning menstrual shame.

The twenty-three-year-old's work garnered both the Megalo Print Studio Residency Award and the Craft ACT Emerging Contemporaries Exhibition Award, which will see Holding Space in a group exhibition next year.

Miss Holbrook said the Craft ACT Award was given to five people from within the graduating class who are selected by school benefactors.

"I was surprised, definitely. It was a sign of relief, I had worked so hard and it made it all worth it," Miss Holbrook said.

Miss Holbrook said opportunities to share and exhibit artwork helps to keep artists in the game.

"It's a constant battle of trying to prove yourself [as an artist] and trying to prove that art, craft and design is worthy of being on the show and being a career for people," Miss Holbrook said.

But while it can be hard to establish yourself as an artist, for Miss Holbrook it is worth it.

"I love art as an opportunity to share my voice and challenge peoples perception," she said.

"I find it easier for me to be super honest and emotional and raw in my work and I hope it shows."

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Holding Space only further proves that point.

The body of work delivers the message of dismantling menstrual shame through textiles and activism, a subject in which Miss Holbrook is evidentially passionate about.

"I'm really interested in language and the language of menstrual shame and I guess it all came about this year of my own journey of unpacking and unlearning my own menstrual shame after coming off hormonal contraception," she said.

"I realised I had a chance and an opportunity to take control of my body and to understand, so through my work, I was hoping to have people unpack and unlearn their own menstrual shame and the languages around that, and consider what messages they had growing up and what messages they continue to perpetuate whether that being conversations or advertisements and things like that."

Miss Holbrook's love for art is very much something she was born with, but it wasn't until her teenage years that she realised a desire to pursue it as a career.

"I wanted to be a vet and then chemistry was not my strong point," she said.

"I ended up getting selected to go to national art school in year 11 and doing that made me realise where I wanted to be and that I had the potential to see it through."

Now, it is Miss Holdbrook's mission to flourish as an established artist, and she is urging community members to help her and those alike by engaging with them and their artworks.

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