Nur Aishah Kenton

Exhibited works:

Sahara Bailey sits on her bed in her share house in Brisbane, Australia. Sahara recently left her family home and is living in a share house for the first time. This rite of passage can often be a nervous one, living with strangers for the first time, but it can also be very rewarding, being able to find new things about yourself. “Over the past eight months this has dramatically changed. I’ve thrown myself into the deep end, gone from being a hermit crab, isolated and on my own, to moving into a share house with four others. This was a complete shift & one that came with a shock to 
my nervous system.”, 2024

During the process of making images for “Home for A Time”, some of the participating subjects were forced to vacate and move from their homes. Eviction has become a normalised experience for many young adults, with property owners and landlords free to increase rent amounts without restriction, something housing advocates are fighting to have changed by governments. Participant Sahara Bailey writes over the photograph “Property managers clearing us out”., 2024 

Lia Ribeiro de Noronha and Myla Nicholas in Lia’s bedroom. Both have found a safe community where they can explore their queerness., 2024 

Bella Porras and her partner Jack Greer (l-r) photographed in their share house bedroom, Brisbane, Australia. Both are neurodivergent; they find solace in living in a community with other neurodivergent people, where they don’t have to explain their habits, and way of living. Bella writes “Uncertain times all round, their support is endless”., 2024

During the process of making images for “Home for A Time”, some of the participating subjects were forced to vacate and move from their homes. Eviction has become a normalised experience for many young adults, with property owners and landlords free to increase rent amounts without restriction, something housing advocates are fighting to have changed by governments. Participant Bella Porras writes over the photograph “Property managers clearing us out”., 2024 

Anna Jourdant in her bedroom in Brisbane, Australia. Anna darned and used embroidery to convey her experiences of share housing. “I had a cute idea as a kid that I would live with my family on a horse farm and they would live in another house and everyone would live together.”, 2024 

“The share house experience, or just finding community, is so valuable to allowing yourself to be comfortable with who you are.” – Myla Nicholas, 2024

William Bird, Maeve, Lia Ribeiro de Noronha, Myla Nicholas and Anna Jourdant (l-r) sit in their Brisbane, Australia share house. Everyone in this shared household identifies as neurodivergent or queer, and finds their place a safe space in which to express themselves. Lia Ribeiro de Noronha writes over the photograph “I feel happy and safe to be me”., 2024

Rhett Kleine (r) wrote over this photograph of a communal fire in the backyard of his share house, “The share house is a seedling in a field set to be sown”. As a young adult who first leaves home, share housing can be a place where you find yourself as a young adult, as well as your community., 2024 

Rhett Kleine (r) wrote over this photograph of a communal fire in the backyard of his share house, “The share house is a seedling in a field set to be sown”. As a young adult who first leaves home, share housing can be a place where you find yourself as a young adult, as well as your community., 2024 

Photographs in collaboration with Sahara Bailey, Myla Nicholas, Bella Porras, Anna Jourdant, Lia Ribeiro de Noronha, Sahara Bailey, Rhett Kleine 

from the series “Home for a Time”

“I’m driven by the idea that photography can be a shared experience rather than a solitary act, creating a space where different voices come together, where personal and collective narratives intersect, and in which storytelling fosters deeper connections.

Home for a Time is about more than just the realities of share house living – it’s about human connection, resilience, and the creative ways people create a sense of home in uncertain circumstances. As housing becomes less affordable, many young Australians are finding themselves in share houses not just as a rite of passage, but as a long-term reality. Yet, despite the challenges, these spaces can foster deep bonds, support systems, and chosen families, especially for those who are marginalized and seeking community.

Through a collaborative process that includes the voices of those depicted, this project goes beyond just documenting their living spaces – it captures their hopes, fears, and the ways they navigate community and belonging. I want the audience to not only see these homes but to feel the connections within them, to recognize the importance of shared living as more than just necessity, but as a way of finding solidarity and meaning in an increasingly isolating world. I also want my audience to listen to more young voices – to understand their struggles, their resilience, and their perspectives on the future of housing, community, and belonging.”