In Her Name
& m e r i project
Celebrating the lives of Queensland’s women & girls
WOW Australia was proud to present two dynamic photographic exhibitions at Brisbane Powerhouse. From the 25th May to 25th June, visitors made their way to New Farm to view these exquisite collections of Queensland women and girls, shot exclusively by women photographers.
During 2022 we commissioned photographs and stories of women and girls from each of the communities where WOW festivals are taking place, to celebrate the work they are doing in their communities across many of the themes we explore in our festivals: leadership, identity, education, health, justice, domestic life, economy, culture, and the environment.
These images together with the 10 images of Brisbane women leaders taken as part of the 2021 joint The WOW Foundation and Google Arts & Culture global on-line exhibition, The Hope Project form this exhibition, celebrating and honouring the women of Queensland.
We were also delighted to include the ‘m e r i’ project by Wendy Mocke, first presented by Northsite Contemporary Arts gallery within Bulmba-ja Arts Centre.
In Her Name
Celebrating the lives of Queensland’s women & girls
Women may not be highly visible in many formal positions of power, but in fact, they exercise extraordinary leadership in a myriad of ways and places throughout our State.
In this exhibition, we pay tribute to women and girls from the locations where WOW (Women of the World) Festivals have taken place over the last two years - Charleville, Longreach, Cairns, Logan, and Brisbane. Each woman featured has been identified by her community for the leadership or huge personal contribution each has made, and all have remarkable stories to tell.
Photography by Cristina Bevilacqua, Tatenda Dhobha, Katrina Lehmann and Mana Salsali.
This image: Dr Esther Onyango. Photo by Mana Salsali.
Cover image: Debbie Kilroy. Photo by Mana Salsali.
Exhibition design and curation by Jody Haines.
The 'm e r i' project
By Wendy Mocke
The 'm e r i' project is a collection of photographs and stories, initiated from years of conversations with young Papua New Guinean women. Whilst unpacking questions surrounding cultural identity and Black womanhood, the artist encountered a recurring theme: Young PNG women often feel silenced and actively fight against a limited vision of what is deemed possible for themselves. The common portrayal of PNG women in western media is often associated with tragedy or poverty. It is the harmful nature or the western gaze that minimises the full breadth and complexity or the Melanesian woman.
This creative project focuses on the re-contextualizing of PNG women. Its aim is to find innovative ways for PNG women to define themselves. To speak their truth to power, without fear of erasure.
m e r i took her first breath on Gimuy Walubara Yindiji country and Yirrganydji country through NorthSite Contemporary Arts gallery within Bulmba-ja Arts Centre.
This image: Rose, from m e r i project. Artist Wendy Mocke.