Over 100 years of photography through the lens of women

From April 16 to October 2, 2022, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York will present the exhibition Our Selves: Photographs by Women Artists from Helen Kornblum. This explores how women artists have used photography as a means of resistance. It also challenges restrictive notions of femininity and explores the connections between photography, feminism, civil rights, indigenous sovereignty, and queer liberation. To do so, the exhibition spans more than 100 years of photography history. It covers Frances Benjamin Johnston's early documentary photographs of so-called »racial segregation« in education in the U.S. at the turn of the century, as well as Chemehuevi artist Cara Romero's contemporary portrait celebrating the distinctiveness of indigenous art forms. Addressing themes of equality and diversity, the exhibition also encourages visitors to reflect on artist Carrie Mae Weems' evocative question, »In one way or another, my work endlessly explodes the limits of tradition. I’m determined to find new models to live by. Aren’t you?«

In recognition of the generosity of collector Helen Kornblum, Our Selves: Photographs by Women Artists from Helen Kornblum features a variety of practices, including portrait photography, photojournalism, social documentary, avant-garde experimentation, advertising, and performance.