The Museum of Australian Photography presents the culmination of a project years in the making featuring nude photographs by Ponch Hawkes of 500 Victorian women over the age of 50.
Three of the images from the ‘500 strong’ exhibition. © Ponch Hawkes.
The ‘500 strong’ project was in development across five years and involved celebrated Melbourne artist, Ponch Hawkes, working with curator and arts consultant, Jane Scott, to photograph 500 Victorian women over the age of 50, nude. Photoshoot weekends were organised in Melbourne at Hawkes’s studio and at the regional galleries of Shepparton, Horsham and Geelong.
Hawkes staged her final photoshoot at MAPh in early June 2024. Across a weekend, women participated in the photoshoot, sharing stories and finding connection. It was evident that the 500 strong project facilitates diverse conversations around women’s health, while exploring vulnerability and strength, courage and acceptance.
Free to choose their stance, and whether they brought a prop – which vary from the intriguing to the obscure – women posed in the name of courage and power. The resulting photographs are an impressive record of the participants’ bravery, creativity and cheekiness. All 500 portraits are presented in this final exhibition, curated by Jane Scott: a culmination of all the photoshoots, collaboration and connection that has made the project such a success.
The exhibition runs until 16 February 2025, with a free public program, Women in focus: health forum, taking place on Sunday, 8 December 2024 from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. Click here for more information.
