Shape of Things - Artist Talk

 
 

During the 2023 Women’s Work Shape of Things programme, I was fortunate to have been included alongside 3 other exhibiting wāhine to present for our Artist Talk series.

Limbo

Confined in limbo. Between summer and autumn. Weariness and restlessness. Frustration and gratitude. Days turn to weeks. Another month goes by. A once racing mind, blank - save for glimmers of shape and light.

Break the Bias - International Women's Day Panel

 
 

On 8 March 2022 (International Women’s Day) I joined the Women’s Work IWD 2022 panel for a korero about my journey as a wāhine in the advertising photography space.

We all have biases but by talking about our experiences and ways to #BreakTheBias, we can evolve and grow.

Thanks for the chat Victoria Baldwin, Liz Richards, Michelle Richards-Berry, Michelle Hyslop and Jane Hill

What are some of the experiences you have had to overcome to reach your professional goals?

For me, the concept of having professional goals wasn’t on the cards until I'd already been working for a while.

My parents struggled when I was younger, so having something like a camera of my own wasn't an option. Plus, I went to an old fashioned, religious girls' school with very set ideas - my principal would tell me she didn't want Maori girls like me in her school. Various other teachers pulled me up for things I didn't do and told me I'd fail, be barefoot, pregnant, and marry a drug dealer before we knew it.


But my family always encouraged me, even though they thought things like shorthand typing and economics would be better to help me land a good office job. Instead, I wanted to do photography and work in forensics and everyone rolled their eyes when I wouldn't do home ec and sewing.


So when I realised I could only do the usual subjects, I started hating school. The adults in our family also talked about how I didn't have a university fund, so I believed you couldn't go to uni unless your parents had money.


And then my goal became about getting away. At 16, I ran away to Wellington and found work as a bank teller. My Uncles worked in film. And one of them had lived with us on and off, teaching me how to use his cameras. I'd hoped to get a foot in the door through him, but he kept telling me the film industry was no place for a girl.


After about 10 years of working in various things, I won some industry awards in recruitment. I made some ok commissions in a sector that was traditionally hard to be successful in. And that was when I started to realise I could actually do whatever I put my mind to.


I bought my own camera and started to build up my gear, eventually going back to tech and assisting other photographers where I could.

I've had some pretty gross situations to deal with along the way. Not all in the photography industry, but I've been told I'm too brown and not brown enough. I've been sexually harassed and stalked by clients. I've needed to have my husband call places like our bank to get things done on time. Even though his name isn't on my work accounts, he can get things done faster.


I've been yelled at by clients when they've sent the wrong products to a job, or they're having a bad day. And I've been physically pushed out of photographer pits.


One of the common things I'm asked at the moment is if and how I'll manage with kids and work as if I'm the only capable adult in our house. Or even worse, be told I have enough on my plate with the kids as if they think they're doing me a favour and can't make the decision for myself. 


I sometimes even hide that I have kids. It took me a while to find a group of genuinely supportive photographers. So it's definitely been a labour of love at times. And I have a mentor now, Christina Force so I think that helps to keep me on track.

In my case though, I think the question needs to be about what other experiences might need to be overcome, in order to have the space for professional goals.

feels like home

Feels like home.

Women's Work - Kaha

As well as being an exhibiting Photographer, I also volunteered as our Social Media Manager (LinkedIn and Facebook)

2020 Women’s Work exhibition - KAHA

Group exhibition showing at Queen’s Wharf Auckland from November to end of January 2021.

Women’s Work | Kaha [Strength]

Amber-Jayne Bain, Ann Orman, Camilla Rutherford, Charlotte Anderson, Emma Baker, Georgia Schofield, Jessica Chloe Gernat, Jessie Casson, Jodie Rainsford, Julie Chandelier, Larnie Nicholson, Manja Wachsmuth, Mara Sommer, Melanie Jenkins, Melissa Banks, Melissa Nickerson, Michelle Hyslop, Milana Radojcic, Sacha Stejko, Sara Orme, Vanessa Wu, Victoria Baldwin, Virginia Woolf

Women’s Work Collective

Queens Wharf Perimeter Fence. Quay Street to Shed 10

5 November - 28 January 2021

Photography Exhibition Showcasing Female Professional Photographers in New Zealand.

The Women’s Work collective unveils their latest photographic exhibition: Kaha [Strength]. The outdoor exhibition showcases 23 works on the Queens Wharf perimeter fence.

The exhibition is a collaboration with Eke Panuku Development and features photographic works that explore the resilience of Aotearoa over these past months. It is on now and will run through to the end of January, open to the public 24/7.

Only 15% of the advertising photographs we see everyday are created by women.

The Women’s Work Collective exists to address this inequity – to increase awareness and participation of women in the photography industry and to highlight the work of women, women-identifying and non-binary people. Women’s Work is a unique initiative of the Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association founded by Photographer Victoria Baldwin and Producer Briar Pacey.

Founder Victoria Baldwin notes, “Collaborating with Eke Panuku Development enables us to bring a free, accessible exhibition to Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s a covid-safe way to enjoy the waterfront, get some exercise and see some beautiful art from Aotearoa’s Female Photographers.”

A special thanks to all our supporters: AIPA (Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association), Eke Panuku Development, Pacey Production Company, Tom Ang, and Jamie @ Interesting Things.

Learn more about the Women’s Work Collective at www.womenswork.photography

Founders Victoria & Briar would like to acknowledge and thank our wonderful curatorial team:

Kristal Knight, Su Chin Chow, Imogen Cahill, Caitlin Thompson & Gal Stern

 

Photoforum - Women's Work - Kaha

2020 Women’s Work exhibition - KAHA

Women’s Work | Kaha [Strength]

Amber-Jayne Bain, Ann Orman, Camilla Rutherford, Charlotte Anderson, Emma Baker, Georgia Schofield, Jessica Chloe Gernat, Jessie Casson, Jodie Rainsford, Julie Chandelier, Larnie Nicholson, Manja Wachsmuth, Mara Sommer, Melanie Jenkins, Melissa Banks, Melissa Nickerson, Michelle Hyslop, Milana Radojcic, Sacha Stejko, Sara Orme, Vanessa Wu, Victoria Baldwin, Virginia Woolf

Women’s Work Collective

The Women’s Work collective unveils their latest photographic exhibition: Kaha [Strength]. The outdoor exhibition showcases 23 works on the Queens Wharf perimeter fence.

The exhibition is a collaboration with Eke Panuku Development and features photographic works that explore the resilience of Aotearoa over these past months. It is on now and will run through to the end of January, open to the public 24/7.

Only 15% of the advertising photographs we see everyday are created by women.

The Women’s Work Collective exists to address this inequity – to increase awareness and participation of women in the photography industry and to highlight the work of women, women-identifying and non-binary people. Women’s Work is a unique initiative of the Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association founded by Photographer Victoria Baldwin and Producer Briar Pacey.

Article originally published on Photoforum

NZ Herald - Women's Work - Underexposed

Joanna Mathers on a new exhibition of women, by women.

Advertising imagery is ubiquitous, contagious, and made to move goods. A daily dose of capitalist confection, these pictures have power. They shape our cultural mores, influence our spending choices, and are, overwhelmingly, created by males.

A New York Times article published in 2019 revealed that only 15 per cent of advertising images were taken by female photographers. This is significant. It speaks of a world viewed through a male lens; of highly talented women and non-binary people scrounging for crumbs from the table.

Read More

The Case Study Project - Women's Work

Women’s Work Collective and Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand enter Cannes Lions with a case study of a campaign that never ran

It may sound nonsensical, however it’s a calculated approach to get the Collective’s challenging message directly in the faces of advertising agencies and their creative departments.

The case study film features the previously unseen campaign of 24 posters that highlight the disturbing fact that of all the photography used in advertising less than 15% is shot by women.

It then goes further by calling out agencies, asking them to start deliberately and consciously put women photographers on their shortlists for future projects.

Read More