Show-stopping photography exhibition to open at Hartlepool Art Gallery

The Female Gaze: Revisited opens on Saturday 29th January and showcases an extraordinary panoramic portrait of women around the world, examining changing perceptions of femininity, fashion and gender over the past two decades.

Alice Hawkins presented her first solo show, The Female Gaze, at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art over a decade ago. Since then she has exhibited across the UK including at The Grundy and Somerset House, creating an impressive body of work which has changed the face of fashion and fine art photography alike.

In January Hartlepool Art Gallery will revisit highlights from across Hawkins’ 20 year career, bringing together select pieces from her original show and exciting new works which together manifest our ever changing understanding of women and their lives in today’s global society.

Renowned as one of the fashion world's most noted photographers, London-based Alice Hawkins has photographed people from five continents and seemingly every imaginable social background. Her impressive portfolio features the likes of Gisele, Michael Fassbender and Donatella Versace and her photographs have graced countless fashion bibles including Vogue and LOVE Magazine.

She uses her unrivalled eye for character, costume and context to cast her sitters in often remarkable ways, styling them to become more fully themselves. She looks to capture people who cultivate their own appearance and their individuality, and who embody her own ideals of beauty and glamour, which are far from those seen in mainstream media.

Alice Hawkins said: “Looking back at this work is hugely sentimental. I never want to lose that road trip adventure spirit, exploring and making work with strangers who appear glamorous and extraordinary. Upon revisiting these images I am reminded of my subjects' lives, dreams and hopes, which to me appear timeless.”

Hawkins often captures the diverse, theatrical and sometimes outrageous; visitors can expect to see an extensive selection of work taken from her back catalogue including striking portraits of female musicians such as Beth Ditto and Paloma Faith as well as iconic celebrities including Alice Cooper and Tom Jones.

As part of the exhibition, Hawkins’ ethereal fashion films will be screened within the gallery, which take the themes of her photography work and elevate them into entrancing dreamscapes from which the viewer will not wish to wake.

Viewers won’t be able to resist being drawn to her work and absorbed into the glamorous and audacious world she creates. Alice Hawkins captures an element of truth in her subjects and their personal environments wherever and whoever they may be.

Georgina Ascroft, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Museum and Gallery Manager, said: ““We are delighted to be working with Alice Hawkins and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art on this major retrospective of Hawkins’ photography and film.

“Hawkins pushes against established rules around gender, identity and sexuality in a knowingly provocative way. She has mastered her medium and reclaimed the (fe)male gaze for the 21st century.”

Renowned fashion photographer Nick Knight OBE said: “Alice’s portrayal of women comes from a feeling of deep respect. Her women are always strong, always in control and always gorgeous.

“It’s a contemporary view of women – one that is not only relevant but also important in these times of censorship and the suppression of the image of women.”

The show has been created in collaboration with Alice Hawkins, Hartlepool Art Gallery, Northern School of Art and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, with funding from Hartlepool Borough Council, Tees Valley Museum Group and Northern School of Art.

The exhibition will run from Saturday 29th January to Saturday 23rd April and entry is free. The gallery is in Church Square and is open 10am – 5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays.

For more information call (01429) 869706 or visit www.hartlepoolartgallery.co.uk