Reclamation, Resilience, Rebirth: Artist Panel

Join the Leica Gallery Boston on Saturday March 8th from 12PM-2PM for a conversation with photographers and Leica Women Foto Project awardees Camille Farrah Lenain, Dola Posh, and Stasia Schmidt led by independent curator J. Sybylla Smith.

Facilitated following the opening of Reclamation, Resilience, Rebirth, and in celebration of Women’s History Month, this panel will give an opportunity to hear the photographers speak directly about their work. Responding to questions about the importance of women’s voices in photography, how women photographers and artists use portraiture or self-portraiture to explore themes of identity, and how their individual projects engage with questions of selfhood, culture, and place.

Luvia Lazo, a Zapotec indigenous photographer, explores the dynamics of identity, generational shifts, grief, and the connection between humans and spaces of cultural and spiritual significance. Her project Women from the Clouds is a powerful series that weaves together diverse narratives of contemporary indigenous women of all ages.

Camille Farrah Lenain, a French-Algerian documentary and portrait photographer, has created a remarkable body of work through her lens. Her project Made of Smokeless Fire sheds light on the often overlooked and misunderstood representation of LGBTQIA+ individuals within Muslim culture in France.

Dola Posh, a UK-based, Nigerian-born photographer illuminates the narratives of Black women and mothers, infusing her work with unique stories of motherhood to inspire societal change. Her series OMO MI (a phrase meaning “my child”) explores the profound and transformative journey of becoming a new mother, capturing a delicate and life-changing essence that defines the experience of motherhood.

Stasia Schmidt, a Canadian fine art photographer known for her keen eye for simplicity and form, presents Ephemerality , a project that confronts societal norms by exploring the feminine presence in traditionally male-dominated adventure realms. Her work prompts viewers to reconsider preconceived notions about women in these spaces.

J. Sybylla Smith brings a concept development lens to her work as an independent curator, podcaster and consultant. With a mission to amplify the work of women photographers and highlight underrepresented narratives with an intersectional lens, she has curated 30+ solo and group exhibitions featuring over 115 international photographers in venues within the U.S., Mexico, Columbia and Japan. Her Concept Aware®: How You See & Why It Matters podcast engages a global audience in over 80 interviews with international photographers, curators and visual culture writers. Her Concept Aware® creative framework provides specific tools to visual artists to bring their abstract ideas to fruition in image, text, exhibition and book form.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Host or Publisher Leica Camera