Since 2017, Women Street Photographers (WSP) has been spotlighting the rich contribution of female photographers to the genre. What started as an Instagram account has transformed into a book, artist residency, film series, and traveling exhibition. Among the programming by WSP is their annual exhibition highlighting great street photography by women.
This year's exhibition opens on April 8, 2022 at Artspace PS109 in New York City. The show features 79 photographers from 20 countries, all of whom were selected for their ability to capture incredible spontaneous moments. Curated by WSP founder and former AP photojournalist Gulnara Samoilova, the exhibition is a wonderful look at street photography around the globe.
Samoilova was inspired to start WSP after facing gender bias in her own career. As street photography is a genre typically dominated by men, she wanted to use her platform to raise up more women. By bringing more diversity to the forefront of the genre, WSP is expanding what we think we know about street photography.
And this fourth annual group exhibition is a beautiful showcase for a wide variety of talent. From Istanbul to New York City, these photographs are slices of life frozen in time. Whether it's Anna Biret‘s shadowy photo of a young girl in India or Nina Welch-Kling running down the streets of New York to photograph a person holding a bundle of balloons, each image has its own story to tell.
Aside from the group exhibition, Artspace PS109 will also feature a solo show by Maude Bardet. Bardet was the first runner-up for the 2020 WSP Art Residency.