It has been 40 years since 30,000 women protested against nuclear weapons being placed at an RAF site in Greenham Common, Berkshire. To mark the occasion, and also today’s International Women’s Day (Wednesday 8 March), an online exhibition has been launched which celebrates the work of female and non-binary photographers.
The exhibition was put together by f22, a group set up by Association of Photographers members to highlight stunning photos and videos produced by women and non-binary people. Work by 15 members of the group are all included in the exhibition. The images all have the theme of community and all it encompasses and includes the Black Girls’ Space at Cambridge University, the East London Rugby Club’s ‘Vixens’ women’s section and the Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp.
AOP CEO Isabelle Doran said: “We’re immensely proud to be supporting our female photographer members in developing their inspired approach to work together and support each other for this collaborative project. The results are a wonderful and sensitive visual translation of the focus they chose, showing a mixed visual tapestry of still and moving images, which, in essence, represents the female gaze.”
The curators of the online exhibition include Andy Greenacre, Photography Director of the Telegraph magazine, Jennie Ricketts, former Picture Editor of the Observer Magazine, Fiona Shields, Head of Photography at the Guardian, and Jane Sherwood, News Editor, EMEA at Getty Images.
Jane Sherwood said: “It was a privilege to be asked to be one of the curators for the f22
Community and Connection project. Championing women photographers is a necessary part of the journey to equal representation in the field of editorial photography. I was really keen to see the various interpretations of community and connection in the projects undertaken.”
Take a look through the gallery below to see some of the stunning images included in the exhibition.
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5. Chettle Wassail by Jayne Jackson
This is one of a series of images, made digitally in January 2023, that documents the Chettle Wassail, a midwinter celebration of the apple trees in the orchards of a tiny rural community O with just 100 people in North Dorset. It is a unique celebration, created by the people to highlight the nature and landscape of the beautiful valley. Photo by Jayne Jackson. | Jayne Jackson
6. Unseen by Danielle Kalionovskis
Danielle Kalionovskis is a disabled, queer photographer who says she knows “what it’s like to feel unseen in this world”. She took a series of photos to challenge the narrative on how disabled people are viewed, “confronting the ableism that permeates our society”, she says and trying to change people’s views of what disability looks like by including those with invisible disabilities. She said the plastic sheet used in the photos she took acts as a double metaphor. It shows “how society doesn’t see disabled people” and is also “a reminder that you can’t always tell if someone is disabled by looking at them”. Photo by Danielle Kalionovskis. | Danielle Kalionovskis
7. East London Vixens by Karen Yeomans
Karen Yeomans took a series of images to showcase the emotional bonds between women who play rugby together because they are striving for a common goal together; triumphing over the opposing team. The team in the pictures are the women’s section of the East London Rugby Club, the Vixens. Photo by Karen Yeomans. | Karen Yeomans
8. All At Sea by Eleanor Church (Larkrise Pictures)
These are a series of images which document the experiences of foreign fishermen working in the British fishing industry. This particular photo shows Mark, the skipper, who has been fishing all his working life. Church wanted to photograph Mark because he’s one of the first British skippers trying to help his crew, who come from India, Ghana, Sri Lanka, pass the English language exams they need to get a Skilled Worker Visa which would enable them to get access to better rights, pay, and healthcare. Photo by Eleanor Church (Larkrise Pictures). | Eleanor Church (Larkrise Pictures)