Deborah Kelly has been an artist since “the dawn of time.”

Well, she’s been making collage-based images since she was a schoolgirl in the 1970s. “Isn’t that pretty well forever?” she says.

Based in Sydney, Australia, Kelly uses a range of materials and subjects in her work, from a global dance memorial commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests to a nine-month collage portrait project with 67 people for the 2014 Biennale of Sydney.

Kelly spoke to Mashable about her latest work: stunning collage portraits of three 12-year-old girls. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned her, along with more than 30 artists, for its new initiative The Art of Saving a Life. Each artist used his or her own medium to explore the importance of life-saving vaccines.

Lucy from Sydney

“I am devoted to the idea of public health, which is under dire threat in Australia,” Kelly says. “Not only is our government retreating from universal access to health care, but pernicious anti-vaccination propaganda has gained traction among a surprising array of people. Including people in my own family.”

Kelly wanted to focus specifically on women and girls’ health, which led her to the HPV vaccine — the focus of these portraits.

“For now, the HPV vaccine remains universally available to girls in Australia. Its uptake has already shown powerful health consequences in the population, and that’s been in the news quite a lot,” she says.

She only knew three girls in the world who were 12 years old, the common age when girls receive the HPV vaccine. Luckily, with the permission of their parents, Lucy from Sydney (first portrait), Olivia from Brooklyn (second portrait, below) and Emma from New South Wales (third portrait) all agreed to participate in the project.

Olivia from Brooklyn

Kelly asked each girl what she considers most important for and about girls across the world.

“It seems to me that the HPV vaccine treasures young females and their futures, so I wanted the works to reflect a little light from the girls’ hearts and hopefulness,” she says.

Lucy talked about connection and strength of character, and feeling loved and accepted. Emma said it was very important for girls to feel joyous. Meanwhile, Olivia had the most to say.

“[Olivia] talked about the scrutiny girls are under — everything they say is watched, their bodies are watched, their behavior is under constant social surveillance. She talked about how important it is for girls to claim their rightful place in full equality to men and boys, and to be truly appreciated for their power and intelligence,” Kelly says.

Emma from New South Wales

The collage imagery Kelly used is in specific conversation with what the girls told her — the artist’s interpretation of her subjects’ words.

“Only cherished girls will get the vaccine, and I hope the works add to the global effort of ensuring girls are valued,” she says.

Be sure to check out visual storyteller Christoph Niemann’s animated GIFs for The Art of Saving a Life, which teach the world about safe vaccine transport. On Friday, we’ll feature a short animated film for the initiative, by animation artist Katerina Athanasopoulou.

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