Ziqian Liu

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.

Gabby Jones

Ksenia Simakova

Ana Zibelnik

Julie Calabrese

Anne-Charlotte Henry

Allison Zaucha

Elif Koyutürk

Aine Kelly

Brianna Soukup

Louiza Vradi

Beatrice Lezzi

Ludovica Anzaldi

Morgane Delfosse

Carmen Colombo

Marie Aynaud

Iness Rychlik

Rebecca Fertinel

Ksenia Ivanova

Rachel Jump

Mika Sperling

Kristina Podobed

Julia Szablowska

Ziqian Liu

Jacquelyn Stuber

Jaqueline Larsen

Mahé Elipe

Mano Svanidze

Sunny Strader

Marina Balakina

Roslyn Julia

30 Under 30 Women Photographers / 2020

Ludovica Anzaldi | Marie Aynaud | Marina Balakina | Julie Calabrese | Carmen Colombo | Morgane Delfosse | Mahé Elipe | Rebecca Fertinel | Anne-Charlotte Henry | Ksenia Ivanova | Gabby Jones | Roslyn Julia | Rachel Jump | Aine Kelly | Elif Koyutürk | Jaqueline Larsen | Beatrice Lezzi | Ziqian Liu | Kristina Podobed | Iness Rychlik | Ksenia Simakova | Brianna Soukup | Mika Sperling | Sunny Strader | Jacquelyn Stuber | Mano Svanidze | Julia Szablowska | Louiza Vradi | Allison Zaucha | Ana Zibelnik

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.

Among the growing list of photographers in the collective, many have come from or have gone on to join agencies such as Magnum or Hans Lucas, and organizations like ICP / International Center of Photography. Many are winners of LensCulture and World Press Photo awards with representation in festivals such as Les Rencontres d’Arles, Circulation(s), and Voies Off. Publications include Aperture, The New York Times, and Photo Vogue, and several of the photographers have continued to contribute their series to Artpil, including Benedetta Ristori (2017) Being Human; Julie Hascoët (2017) Mexican Journal; Sarah Blesener (2018) Toy Soldiers; Ekaterina Anchevskaya (2018) Forgiving and I Remember Nothing; and Laure d’Utruy (2017) with Tempohome and The Royal Road: In Transformation.

This year we continue in the tradition adapting the growing practice of online exhibitions to promise further exposure and visibility for the growing collective and a greater accessibility to their works.

30 Under 30 Women Photographers / 2020 Exhibition
November 1 – December 31, 2020 / Artpil
Visit the exhibition >