Reclamation, Resilience, Rebirth

By Elin Spring

Interested in something uplifting for a change? Since 2019, Leica has sponsored the Leica Women Foto Project to amplify diverse female perspectives in photography. The 2024 awards recognize Luvia Lazo (Mexico) and her project “Women from the Clouds,” Camille Farrah Lenain (U.S.) and her project “Made of Smokeless Fire,” Dola Posh (U.K.) and her project “OMO MI,” and Stasia Schmidt (Canada) and her project “Ephemerality.” The four 2024 awardees are being celebrated in the group show “Reclamation, Resilience, Rebirth” at Leica Gallery Boston through April 20th, 2025.

“Weaving the Life” by Luvia Lazo, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery Boston.

In Women from the Clouds, Luvia Lazo honors her indigenous Zapotec roots in Oaxaca, Mexico from a tender, contemporary perspective. Her images convey reverence for the cultural and spiritual practices of her female elders who continue to face changes imposed by modernity. Lazo’s warm, rich palette and use of tactile elements like water, foliage and fabrics create sensual compositions that venerate and memorialize the women of her disappearing culture.

“Flor, Ita Savi, from the Coast” by Luvia Lazo, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery Boston.

“Bouchta, Marseille: The mourning of the gays who have suffered, who are still resilient like a phoenix rising from its ashes… It’s brand new that we’re accepted, but we’re still in pain.” 2022, by Camille Farrah Lenain, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery Boston.

In Made of Smokeless Fire, French-Algerian photographer Camille Farrah Lenain creates empathetic portraits that wrestle with ideas of identity, stereotypes and preconceptions. In pictures often featuring her subjects in unguarded poses or in intimate, close-up compositions, she asks the viewer to recognize our shared humanity with those who are frequently overlooked, misunderstood, or regarded as societal outliers.

“Lamine, Marseille: The pigeons are a gift from my mother because we made peace not long ago. For a while, I was really at odds with my family. My mother started having a lot of health issues, and I decided to sort things out while she’s still alive. I don’t want her to die in the midst of a conflict, because her death will be a snapshot of that moment in time, frozen for eternity.” 2022, by Camille Farrah Lenain, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery Boston.

“Tola and Moranu” by Dola Posh, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery Boston.

In her series OMO MI (“My Child”), Nigerian-born British photographer Dola Posh mines the inherent tensions confronted during a mother’s postpartum period. Her self-portraits reveal a silent stream of inner fortitude as she faces the dual tribulations of entering motherhood and isolating from family and friends during the COVID pandemic. Employing soothing religious iconography, Posh’s pensive expressions, nurturing gestures, and graceful compositions impart a tangible sense of strength, even as they infer the weight of her struggles.

“Mother’s Day Year 3” by Dola Posh, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery Boston.

Feature Image: “Basalt” from the series Ephemerality by Stasia Schmidt, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery Boston.

Canadian photographer Stasia Schmidt’s series (and soon to be published book) Ephemerality is a study in contrasts, endowing her photographs with a surreal glow. Upon harsh northern landscapes, from her home in the Canadian Rockies to Greenland and Mongolia, she introduces her gauzy, female form. Schmidt’s imposition of feminine fluidity into wild and hostile settings merges clashing physical and spiritual elements into images with a serene sense of empowerment.

“Lumen” by Stasia Schmidt, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery Boston.

The 2024 Leica Women Foto Project awardees have followed their muses into diverse photographic explorations. While all of them tackle struggles felt keenly by women, their work envisions triumph over adversity, offering viewers inspiring and beautiful imagery. How refreshing.

For more information about this exhibit and associated programming, go to: https://www.instagram.com/leicagalleryboston/