Julia Gunther
exhibitions involved
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Julia Gunther is a German artist who specialises in documentary projects. Her work centres around a critical approach to prevailing narratives and established ideas, focusing on representational deficits within underrepresented communities.
Gunther’s latest project - Calendar Girls - is a photographic collaboration chronicling the Miss Calendar Girl Beauty Pageant, an annual competition in Cape Town, South Africa, where trans women compete for the honour of being crowned Miss Calendar Girl.
The pageant is a platform for contestants to portray their true selves. Similar to the famous ‘balls’ featured in the landmark documentary film Paris is Burning, events like these provide a safe environment, a support network, and above all, a sense of community for trans individuals in South Africa. Inspired by the iconic film Priscilla - Queen of the Desert, Gunther teamed up with several pageant participants to co-create a series of portraits on a salt pan outside of Cape Town.
In her recent series “Fish-For-Sex” Gunther investigates the skewed gender dynamics between fishermen and female fish traders across southern Malawi. What sets this series apart from Gunther’s previous works is that she has, for the first time, incorporated the ‘dominant’ element; creating a dialogue between the ‘oppressor’ and the ‘oppressed’; two sides rarely able to engage in sanctioned confrontation.
Gunther has worked with ‘unheard’ women for more than a decade; the resulting body of work includes collaborations with environmental, social, LGBTQI and community activists in Sub-Saharan Africa; lesbian and trans activists in Cape Town’s townships; Malawi’s first ever female national cricket team; the Black Mambas, an all-female anti-poaching unit; local communities combatting Nodding Syndrome in South Sudan; transactional sex workers on the shores of Lake Malawi and their Kenyan counterparts on Lake Victoria; sight restoration efforts in Tanzania.
Key to all of Gunther’s work is the role that portraits play in re-examining the visual disassociation which defines so many ‘unheard’ individuals and communities. Can a portrait be truly representative? How can portraiture, so often a medium that has misrepresented the sitter, be used for good, while still maintaining the artist’s aesthetic? Is collaboration the answer? More often than not, the protagonists in her images are women who fight against social, economic or political repression. It is only natural that the images used to represent them and that tell their stories should, above all, reflect the positive change they are trying to bring.
Gunther has worked with ‘unheard’ women for more than a decade; the resulting body of work includes collaborations with environmental, social, LGBTQI and community activists in Sub-Saharan Africa; lesbian and trans activists in Cape Town’s townships; Malawi’s first ever female national cricket team; the Black Mambas, an all-female anti-poaching unit; local communities combatting Nodding Syndrome in South Sudan; transactional sex workers on the shores of Lake Malawi and their Kenyan counterparts on Lake Victoria; sight restoration efforts in Tanzania.
Key to all of Gunther’s work is the role that portraits play in re-examining the visual disassociation which defines so many ‘unheard’ individuals and communities. Can a portrait be truly representative? How can portraiture, so often a medium that has misrepresented the sitter, be used for good, while still maintaining the artist’s aesthetic? Is collaboration the answer? More often than not, the protagonists in her images are women who fight against social, economic or political repression. It is only natural that the images used to represent them and that tell their stories should, above all, reflect the positive change they are trying to bring.
Julia Gunther is a German artist who specialises in documentary projects. Her work centres around a critical approach to prevailing narratives and established ideas, focusing on representational deficits within underrepresented communities.
Gunther’s latest project - Calendar Girls - is a photographic collaboration chronicling the Miss Calendar Girl Beauty Pageant, an annual competition in Cape Town, South Africa, where trans women compete for the honour of being crowned Miss Calendar Girl.
The pageant is a platform for contestants to portray their true selves. Similar to the famous ‘balls’ featured in the landmark documentary film Paris is Burning, events like these provide a safe environment, a support network, and above all, a sense of community for trans individuals in South Africa. Inspired by the iconic film Priscilla - Queen of the Desert, Gunther teamed up with several pageant participants to co-create a series of portraits on a salt pan outside of Cape Town.
In her recent series “Fish-For-Sex” Gunther investigates the skewed gender dynamics between fishermen and female fish traders across southern Malawi. What sets this series apart from Gunther’s previous works is that she has, for the first time, incorporated the ‘dominant’ element; creating a dialogue between the ‘oppressor’ and the ‘oppressed’; two sides rarely able to engage in sanctioned confrontation.
julia gunther / biography
1979* berlin
2001-2003
ba film & video studies at university of the arts, london, uk
2003
moved to amsterdam after living in berlin, new york and london
2008
lived and worked in cape town. since that time regular travels to south africa
einzelausstellungen | solo shows
2020
sidestep, fish for sex gallery mirko mayer/ m-projects, cologne, de
2019
fish for sex & the black mambas, unseen, amsterdam, nl
photography in space, fish for sex, gallery mirko mayer, cologne, de
2018
recent works: proud women of africa, gallery mirko mayer/ m-projects, cologne, de
2013
rainbow girls, w1f gallery, amsterdam, nl
2012
ruthy goes to church, lhgwr gallery, the hague, nl
gruppenausstellungen | group shows
2021
WDDU Martha & Tim, Festival of Ethical Photography presents World.Photo Award, Italy
The Black Mambas, The Nest Summit for Climate Week, Javits Center, NYC, USA
The Black Mambas, British Journal of Photography’s ‘Decade of Change’, Hong Kong
2020
no sex for fish, photo kiev fair, ua
international photography festival of belo horizonte, calendar girls, br
7th suwon international photo festival, calendar girls & fanny, kr
kuala lumpur international photo award, calendar girls & fanny, my
2019
ruthy goes to church, photovogue festival, milan, it
the black mambas, month of photography los angeles, usa
chedino, ihlia lgbti heritage, oba, amsterdam, nl
2018
gallery mirko mayer, masterpieces & personalities, the black mambas, cologne, de
chedino, ihlia lgbti heritage, oba, amsterdam, nl
objectifs, chapel gallery, the black mambas, women in photography slideshow, sg
kuala lumpur international photo award, malaysia, the black mambas & busie sandesh: india's first photography festival for transgender community, chedino my / in
2017
festiphoto menthon st bernard, the black mambas, fr
fc barcelona photo awards, malawi eleven, barcelona, es
head on photo festival, ruthy goes to church, museum of sydney, au
taylor wessing portrait prize exhibition, the national portrait gallery, london, uk
sunderland museum and winter gardens, the black mambas, sunderland; the beaney, canterbury, uk
2016
taylor wessing portrait prize exhibition, the black mambas the national portrait gallery, london, uk
fotoweekdc, represent by refinery29, the black mambas, washington d.c., usa
photoville 2016 represent by refinery29, the black mambas, new york, usa
head on photo festival, rainbow girls, museum of sydney, au
2015
chedino & family new york photo festival, the last picture show, ny, usa & seoul, kr
photoville the fence 2015, ruthy goes to church, new york, atlanta, houston, usa
wundermarket amsterdam, ruthy goes to church, nl
kuala lumpur international photo award, chedino, my
ihlia lgbti heritage, chedino & family, oba, amsterdam, nl
blank wall gallery, chedino & family, athens, gr
grid cape town biennial 2015, proud women of africa, sa
2014
new york photo festival, ruthy goes to church & rainbow girls, photoworld 2014, new york, usa
photoville 2014, rainbow girls, alive dutch photography, new york, usa
ihilia lgbti heritage, rainbow girls, oba, amsterdam,nl
kuala lumpur international photo award, ruthy goes to church, my
2013
rainbow girls, black box gallery, portland, or, usa
2012
the art of photography show, ruthy goes to church, san diego, usa
artworks, ruthy goes to church, glassworks, amsterdam, nl
kuala lumpur international photo award, roos, my
pakhuis wilhelmina, de hard rock karoke, amsterdam, nl