80% of photography graduates are female. So why do women make up only 15% of professional photographers? From 1854 Media and British Journal of Photography,
For the second edition of the award, two winning series and 20 winning single images have been selected by an international jury of leading women in photography, set to be exhibited in a group show at El Barrio’s Artspace gallery in New York City from 2-21 November 2020.
Collectively, the curation examines gender, race, sexuality and beyond, weaving delicate stories of beauty and pain; joy and injustice; resilience and reflection.
From Valentina Sinis’s devastating survey of the impacts of domestic violence in Kurdistan to Ada Trillo’s mapping of the human cost of Donald Trump’s political agenda in Central America — Michelle Watt’s study of the harmful stereotypes imposed on East Asian women to Sara Lorusso’s delicate portrait of young, queer love in Italy — Female in Focus 2020 centres some of the most important narratives of our time, as told by women who deserve to be heard.
Exhibition Information
Female in Focus is exhibiting at El Barrio’s Artspace, New York, between 2-21 November 2020
Address: El Barrio’s Artspace, Gallery PS109, 215 E 99th St., New York, NY 10029 Private View: 6 November 5-7pm
“My winning image is part of a research project on queer couples in Italy. From an early age, we are suffocated by innumerable opinions about love. What it is, where to find it, who is authorized to celebrate it, when it is or isn’t appropriate. But when this happens with a person of your own sex, what then? The answer is that absolutely nothing changes — but not everyone seems to have understood this yet. W inning Female in Focus is a great incentive to keep telling these stories.”
— Sara Lorusso, Female in Focus 2020 Single Image Winner
“Trump has effectively barred asylum seekers from entering the US by threatening to impose tariffs and cut foreign aid to Central American countries. F or many asylum seekers, deportation will result in living a life of extortion, impoverishment and even death. W ith my winning series, La Caravana Del Diablo, I want people to recognize that elected officials' decisions affect people outside of their nation. Hopefully, winning Female in Focus will expand my audience to more people who can advocate for Central American asylum seekers.” — Ada Trillo, Female in Focus 2020 Series Winner
“Broken Princess is the story of women in Iraqi Kurdistan who try to escape – and protest – domestic violence by setting themselves on fire. Those who survive are left with terrible physical scars and possibly more painful psychological ones. I hope winning Female in Focus can give them hope, confidence and energy — for they are finally seeing their story told.” — Valentina Sinis, Female in Focus 2020 Series Winner
About Female in Focus
Female in Focus is a photography award from 1854 Media, publisher of British Journal of Photography. After launching in 2019, the award aims to highlight and give a platform to the exceptional work of women photographers around the world.
This year’s award has been judged by:
● Sandra M. Stevenson - Assistant Editor, Photography Department, New York Times
● Kate Bubacz - Photo Director, BuzzFeed News
● Laylah Amatullah Barrayn - Co-Author, M FON: Women Photographers of the
African Diaspora
● Chiara Bardelli Nonino - Photo Editor of Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue
● Elizabeth Houston - Owner and Director, Elizabeth Houston Gallery
● Gulnara Samoilova - Founder of Women Street Photographers
● Carol Allen-Storey - Photographer, curator & educator