A compelling new collection of photography for 2025 spotlights the powerful work of women artists from the global south. The images, capturing moments of everyday life, personal exploration, and social commentary, offer a unique window into diverse cultures and contemporary issues.
Art as Social Commentary and Reclamation
Indian artist Indu Antony presents a poignant project titled Cecilia'ed, named after her 78-year-old subject. The work actively reclaims public spaces in Bengaluru to powerfully highlight ongoing concerns about women's safety in India. Antony's involvement extended beyond the lens; she has since become friends with Cecilia and supported her campaign for safer city streets.
From Uganda, artist Stacey Gillian Abe investigates historical trauma through her Indigogo project. Her work examines how indigo dye was implicated in the slave trade, exploring the profound loss of identity and life experienced by enslaved people.
Exploring Identity, Relationships, and Crisis
Moroccan photographer Fatimazohra Serri delves into human connection with her image The Swing of Life. She describes her aim as illustrating the complex bond between a woman and a man, a relationship shaped by a delicate balance of care and burden, intimacy and distance.
Colombian photographer Isabella Madrid turns the camera on herself in a project called Lucky Girl Syndrome. The self-portrait, featuring the artist bending over backwards, is described as a deep dive into the world of online self-help culture.
A stark image from Cuba, taken by Sandra Hernandez for the project Surviving the Impossible, shows a young mother feeding her baby outside the Havana shop where she works. The photograph contextualises a severe demographic crisis. In 2023, only 90,300 births were recorded in Cuba—a six-decade low. This collapse worsened dramatically in 2024, with a further 20% annual decline as young adults flee economic hardship and a struggling healthcare system.
Dreams, Memory, and Acclaim
South African collage artist Tshepiso Moropa earned significant recognition for her surreal work. Her piece Ke Go Beile Leitlho (I've Got My Eyes On You) uses archive photography to create dreamlike images reflecting on memory and dreams. This innovative approach won her the prestigious 2025 V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography.
Together, these six striking images from 2025 demonstrate the vital perspective and technical skill of women photographers documenting and interpreting the world from the global south.
