Home
Talks
Jo Spence: The Feminist Photography of a Cultural Sniper
Jo Spence: The Feminist Photography of a Cultural Sniper
Jo Spence was a British writer, educator and photographer -- although she was quite ambivalent about being termed an 'artist'. In fact, she much preferred to call herself a 'Cultural Sniper'. But instead of brandishing a gun, Spence used her camera to shoot and expose issues in culture.
One of the first woman photographers to confront the anxiety of seeing oneself in photographs, this HENI Talk explores how Spence targeted the media's representation of women always coded as young, plucked and perfectly made-up by laying her own body on the line.
Time Period:
21st century
Themes:
Dr Patrizia Di Bello is co-director of the History and Theory of Photography Research Centre at Birkbeck, University of London, and Senior Lecturer in the History of Art Department. Her publications include Sculptural Photographs from The Calotype to Digital Technologies (2017), The Photobook from Talbot to Ruscha (2012), edited with Colette Wilson and Shamoon Zamir, and Women's Albums and Photography in Victorian Britain: Ladies, Mothers and Flirts (2007). She serves on the editorial boards of History of Photography, Art History and Photographies.
Watch more
Watch more
14:17
Omar Victor Diop: Black Subjects in the Frame
‘What gets remembered and what doesn’t?’ Mark Sealy examines searing moments in Black history through the lens of Omar Victor Diop’s powerful portraits.
9:21
Under the Gaze: The Art of Cindy Sherman
Hal Foster discusses how the self-portraits of artist Cindy Sherman presaged the selfie culture of our times.
15:03
Metamorphosis of Narcissus: When Salvador Dalí met Sigmund Freud
Dawn Adès tells the story of the historic meeting between Salvador Dalí and Sigmund Freud, and unpacks the mind-boggling painting the artist took with him.
14:17
Omar Victor Diop: Black Subjects in the Frame
‘What gets remembered and what doesn’t?’ Mark Sealy examines searing moments in Black history through the lens of Omar Victor Diop’s powerful portraits.
9:21
Under the Gaze: The Art of Cindy Sherman
Hal Foster discusses how the self-portraits of artist Cindy Sherman presaged the selfie culture of our times.
15:03
Metamorphosis of Narcissus: When Salvador Dalí met Sigmund Freud
Dawn Adès tells the story of the historic meeting between Salvador Dalí and Sigmund Freud, and unpacks the mind-boggling painting the artist took with him.
7:56
The Modern Woman: Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
Griselda Pollock unpacks some of the questions raised by Manet’s enigmatic last masterpiece.
15:47
Building Brasília
'To create an entirely new capital, from scratch, in the middle of nowhere, was an extraordinarily ambitious thing to try and do...' Prof. Richard J. Williams.
14:48
Penny Woolcock: Parallel Worlds
How can the arts help repair rifts in the community? Penny Woolcock speaks of her art of filmmaking that contributes towards real social change.