Deadline: November 30, 2020
Entry Fee: Free
Prizes: participation in the exhibition
In photography, the traditional place for women is in front of the lens. Whether we like to admit it or not, is by and large a male-dominated arena, where the looking is a masculine act, and the subject is feminine, playing the role of looked-at and admired mainly for their outward appearance. Photography, then, has been a mirror for conventional gender roles in western society.
What is it like, then, to be a female photographer, to be a woman who has seized hold of an instrument of which she traditionally remains in front, and to use her eye to view the world, rather than use it to throw back a soft, muted glance into the receiving end of a male gaze? It may sound primitive to talk of the female photographer in such a way, but as the photographers of 30 UNDER 30 women will undoubtedly profess, resistance – or discrimination, even subtle – can be common even today.
We will each have our own stories of how being a woman has hindered, or even unfairly aided, our pursuit of this profession. One might say that looking at the work of 30 female photographers is positive discrimination, and so it is, to the necessary extent where a focus is placed on the work of women, whether or not you view their work as intrinsically female or feminine – or simply human.
– Natalie Dybisz (Miss Aniela / 2010)
Artpil is proud to present the 11th edition of 30 Under 30 Women Photographers / 2020 Exhibition for the inauguration of its online viewing room. Given the current situation with the global pandemic and the impact it has had on artists and the art industry as a whole, this year’s 30 Under 30 Women Photographers gave occasion to launch Artpil’s virtual exhibition space.
Founded in 2010, 30 Under 30 Women Photographers has helped emerging, mid-career, as well as some accomplished women photographers to gain further exposure and participate in the collective among peers. With styles ranging from art photography to documentary, portraiture to street and fashion, the works have been overwhelmingly well received.
The 2017 group exhibited in Rome in collaboration with CultRise and Dude Magazine; the 2018 and 2019 groups were presented along with Maison Photo and shown at Maison de la Photographie in Lille and Galerie Claude Samuel in Paris.
This year we continue in the tradition adapting to the growing practice of online exhibitions to promise further exposure and visibility for the growing collective and a greater accessibility to their works.
