As part of the column ‘Women by Women: A Shared Vision,’ created to expand and develop the theme chosen for our Global open call, we had a conversation with Femxphotographers, a collective based in Berlin with around 15 core members. They curate exhibitions, publish books, and create events with the common goal of shaping a new gaze in photography, distant from the male gaze that pervades our visual culture. Their approach is founded on collaboration, where solidarity plays a fundamental role. They have published LOVE, a book on the power of this feeling and its multifaceted, unexplored manifestations; Mind Over Matter, a publication edited by Roula Seikaly about the rich world lying inside women s minds, overcoming the sexualisation and exploitation of the female body; and The Body Issue, an exploration of bodies and their representation in media. They also curated the exhibition Mom, I Am a Rich Man. We talked about the value of shared experience and horizontality in working dynamics, and the courage (and beauty) of trying—and of being embarrassing.
How was your project born?
Kirsten Obstacles and my first realisations about society s stereotypical attitudes toward motherhood, being a mother, and being an artist and mother quickly led me to take action. Added to this was a disillusioning disappointment with the mechanisms of the art world. These two energies seduced me to find womxn who, through their artistic work, were open to rebellious acts such as publishing art books on essential topics. Deconstructing the male gaze is our main aim.
Hanna When Kirsten Becken first reached out to me about joining the Femxphotographers collective, I was both flattered and intrigued. At the time, the group was just beginning to take shape, and while I became involved during the making of our first book, The Body Issue, I initially remained a bit on the sidelines—curious, but cautious. I wanted to understand what this collective truly stood for. It didn’t take long for me to see how meaningful and powerful this space could be.
What immediately resonated with me was the collective’s deep commitment to collaboration and its genuinely non-hierarchical structure. Everyone’s voice matters, and everyone is expected to contribute—not just creatively, but in building and sustaining the project as a whole. Together, we create books and exhibitions, but just as importantly, we’ve grown into a strong professional network. We recommend each other for jobs, collaborate on commissions, and offer support in navigating a field that often still feels male-dominated.
Femxphotographers proves that when we lift each other up instead of competing, we can create ambitious, lasting work rooted in solidarity and shared values. In a world promoting atomisation and individualism, you work as a collective: how are your ideas and work born, and how do you gather all the different perspectives into a coherent outcome?
Claudia As women and non-binary artists, we come together to counteract structures that isolate and marginalise — not only in the art world, but in society at large. By choosing to work as a collective, we actively reject the myth of the lone genius and the pressure to create in isolation.
In working together, we prioritise transparency, mutual respect, and a process-oriented approach. We work horizontally — without hierarchy — and trust that collective authorship does not dilute voices, but rather amplifies them. Our exhibitions and publications are the result of this collaborative weaving: a tapestry of individual visions held together by shared values and a common urgency to make underrepresented stories visible.
Hanna We stay connected through tools like Basecamp and WhatsApp, which allow us to share ideas, ask questions, and check in with each other across different locations and time zones. Anyone in the group can suggest a concept or start a project, and when an idea resonates, others will often join in and help it grow. That feeling of being met and supported by others is incredibly reassuring—it reminds you that you’re not doing this alone.
At the same time, working collectively doesn’t always mean things move quickly. Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring. It takes patience and trust to hold space for so many different voices and working styles. But that’s also the beauty of it. We’re not here to rush or force consensus—we allow things to evolve and take shape through honest dialogue and collaboration. And even if it takes time, the result always reflects something deeper: a shared effort that holds multiple truths, made stronger by the very process that shaped it.
You published a book investigating love from a feminist perspective. Would you tell us more about it?
Claudia After "The Body Issue" (2020) and MIND OVER MATTER (2022) our third photobook "LOVE" is coming out November this year. "LOVE", is a tender and unflinching exploration of connection — romantic, platonic, familial, and beyond. From bonds with lovers, friends, and kin, to the quiet intimacy shared with animals, objects, landscapes, and even ideas, this collection asks: How much strength does love hold, how much tension can it bear, where does it falter — and what grows in its wake?
All images are printed in Black and White only. By removing color, the focus shifts to texture, light, gesture, and gaze — emphasizing the nuances of connection and the multiplicity of what love can look like beyond normative, romanticized ideals.
Lilly For me, it’s also about who gets to define these narratives in the first place. Love is not neutral – it’s shaped by power, by capitalism, by who has historically been allowed to be seen loving and being loved. When we take the color out of these images, it’s not just an aesthetic choice – it’s a way of stripping away the marketing gloss we’ve been sold. What’s left is messy, complicated connection.
You curated the exhibition Mom, I Am a Rich Man, challenging the concept of "women’s art". How do you think it’s possible to detach from that concept while keeping a female gaze with pride?
Claudia The exhibition title "Mom, I Am a Rich Man" references Cher’s famous response to the idea that a woman should rely on a man for success. In that spirit, the exhibition resists the expectation that women and non-binary artists must define themselves in contrast to a male norm. Our aim wasn’t to claim that “women’s art” is fundamentally different, but to highlight how underrepresented and undervalued the perspectives of women and non-binary photographers still are. Detaching from the limiting label of “women’s art” doesn’t mean abandoning the female gaze — it means refusing to keep it in a marginalised or explanatory position. We show the work not as a counterpoint to men, but as its own center. The more these perspectives are visible — unframed by comparison or justification — the more they become part of what is understood as the visual and cultural mainstream.
What’s your advice for young women photographers?
Claudia Choose vulnerability over performative coolness, because possible embarrassment is way more powerful than polished detachment. And: Making an effort is never cringe. Giving a damn is resistance.
Kirsten Look at communication. Language contains appreciation, perspective, and possibility. The ubiquitous bro culture needs to be disrupted. Believe in your authentic value, in your own development—don t let trends unsettle you.
What’s an upcoming project you are working on?
Claudia As our new photobook "LOVE" will be out this autumn, we re currently developing various formats to accompany this release. Alongside the publication, we re planning an exhibition and a panel event at Deichtorhallen Hamburg, where we ll expand on the book s themes together with additional guests — opening up the conversation even further across different perspectives and practices.
