A woman's role can be trying and often thankless, but a New Zealand Portrait Gallery exhibition will shine a spotlight on the essence that drives New Zealand women to overcome any hurdle.
All Woman is Wellington Photographer Bev Short's testament to the fortitude and strength of Kiwi women.
She said it took the better part of three years to sit with all subjects, interview them and find out the essence of their lives that was important to capture in a portrait.
Travelling the length and breadth of New Zealand Short believes she has captured something special in the images of the women who inspire her.
"I wanted to show how diverse the women here are. They are capable, and they still juggle and they have the ability to succeed in some very male-dominated worlds," she said.
From a Carmelite nun to a burlesque champion, some of the faces in her series are recognisable and some aren't.
She sat with each woman to find out their motivations - sometimes trailing their routines to capture "what made them, them".
"The women I met really opened up to me about their lives which I was so grateful to them for.
"It gives the results more depth and produced images which I hope will in turn inspire those looking at them."
While one image she wasn't able to capture was former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, the series struck a chord with Clark and inspired her to write the forward, which will also be displayed in the exhibition.
"All Woman piqued my interest because it captures the breadth of what women are achieving in the 21st century - a lot more than many would have dreamed a couple of decades ago," Clark wrote.
Short knows something herself of overcoming the odds.
"I started as a commercial photographer - not particularly fulfilled. In the space of a year both my parents died and that really made me evaluate what was important in life. I wasn't happy doing what I was doing, but at the same time I loved photography.
"I figured I may as well start on my big idea first, because if galleries were going to take it, then it needed to be something big that I could show them first off, rather than going along and asking if I could do this, or I could do that."
A plan which paid off, as the New Zealand Portrait Gallery immediately signed her work to appear for a 10-week exhibition beginning April 27.
The free exhibition will also include a series of 10 female speakers who have excelled in their respective fields, with Short kicking off the first speaking date.
* All Woman will be shown at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, at Shed 11 on Wellington's waterfront. Open to the public from April 27-July 8, entry is free.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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