Pandemic Pantry is a series of 12 photographs representing personal responses to the Covid-19 pandemic via portraits of people surrounded by food items bought during the panic buying.

Accompanying each portrait is an official letter (such as employment or immigration correspondence) hand-annotated by each person that further expresses their struggle due to the pandemic.

This project represents the personal impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on everyday people, such as loss of employment and social isolation.

Each photograph shows the person surrounded by food items leftover in their pantry. At the outset of Covid-19, many people stockpiled food and other goods. I wanted to capture what people had leftover as in their pantry.

Accompanying each photograph is an annotated document which further represents the personal struggle of the person. This includes letters from Centrelink, the Immigration Department, landlords and places of employment .

The people I engaged for this project are from diverse backgrounds, including international students, parents, new migrants and young Australians.

Furthermore, the backdrop for each photograph is the person’s kitchen tablecloth. Being Italian, the tablecloth is the center of the house, where people come together each day to talk and share food, and is the centerpiece of family life.