GLOUCESTER.- Hundred Heroines, the pioneering charitable organisation that promotes and celebrates the diversity of women working globally in photography today, announced on 14th December the names of an additional 25 inspiring women photographers joining its ever-growing list celebrating women in photography.

This next cohort represents a myriad of cultures, countries, approaches, and aesthetics, which is key to the ethos of Hundred Heroines. The new tranche of 25 comprises photographers from Australia to India, South Africa to Chile. The additions and the full list can be found in its entirety at hundred heroines.org.

Hundred Heroines originally unveiled the first 100 photographic heroines on 14 December 2018, commemorating 100 years since (some) women secured the vote in Britain. Now, that list has doubled to 200 names – reflecting the sheer number of inspiring contemporary women photographers whose work cannot be ignored, and the organisation’s own commitment to highlighting as many of them as possible.

Included in these latest additions are practitioners such as Indu Antony (India), whose highly varied work magnifies overlooked narratives, Emily Jacir (Palestine), who is primarily concerned with transformation, resistance and silenced historical narratives, Sue Williamson (South Africa), whose work challenged the apartheid government, to the anonymous Guerrilla Girls, a groundbreaking feminist art collective - nominated as a group - who are renowned for expertly challenging discrimination within the art world. The full list can be found below and will be added to the Hundred Heroines website on 14th December where the total list of 200 heroines can also be viewed.

In response Del Barrett, Founder of Hundred Heroines, says: “We’re thrilled to be adding these incredible artists to the list and can’t wait to share their work with our audiences, but the breadth of awe-inspiring work created by women in photography is boundless. Even with 200 contemporary heroines, our journey is only beginning.”

An awareness of these heroines’ contributions is fundamentally important to understanding photography, particularly the ways it is responding to the contemporary moment. Each heroine is defining and dismantling the limits of photography, yet women continue to be under-represented in visual arts programming – an oversight that Hundred Heroines is determined to rectify.

Hundred Heroines is a gateway, not a gatekeeper; the heroines are already powerfully transforming the world of photography in their own right. The organisation exists to amplify their influence, establishing the heroines as the household names they ought to be. The selection process is rigorous; shortlisted candidates are carefully considered by a Criteria of Merit panel, chaired by Sunil Gupta and Zelda Cheatle, – the members of which have been selected for their professional and academic experience relevant to photography and the visual arts, and for their independence and impartiality.

The public’s input is also vital to the organisation’s work. By building a rich online educational platform, where the work of trailblazing women artists can be discovered, Hundred Heroines endeavours to democratise access to the visual arts and encourage other would-be photographers to pursue their creative potential.

The overall list of 200 will continue to grow and is a key part of Hundred Heroines’ ambitious plans for the future, which include opening their first physical space in Gloucester, UK – an endeavour which will raise both the profiles of these women and their work, and the charitable organisation itself, ever higher.