Jody Haines. Artist & Curator Statement.
I'm a storyteller. A social activist. A feminist change-maker. I visually forge a new collection of women’s images that place women first. Photography, light and video are my tools. My practice, I make honest portraits with women – and that’s my greatest privilege. Applying a collaborative and relational act to making, I use photography to inspire people to see themselves and for other people to meet them eye-to-eye. Both art and activism is my calling, I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to connect with people, deeply and daily, for a living. I’m Jody; I’m a photo media artist - I chip away daily at the fabric of our social bias, one photo at a time.
Biography
Jody Haines is a photo-media artist - photography, video and projection - based in Melbourne, Victoria.
Jody focuses on identity, representation and the Female Gaze within the Australian context, presenting most of her work as temporary installations across public spaces.
Jody has exhibited widely including Sydney Festival 2018 and Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2017 as part of Tell: Contemporary Indigenous Photography, and Gertrude Street Projection Festival 2017. In 2017, Jody received the Emerging Artist award for Immerse 2017, for her work #IAMWOMAN, an ongoing social portrait project. She has been commissioned to collaborate and create with communities across many festivals and programs. Festivals include Women of the World and Festival 2018 (Gold Coast Commonwealth Games) with the Women Dreaming Project. Along with Our people Our place, a new public art commission for Horizons Festival 2019, Sunshine Coast Queensland, collaborating with the 32 people from the local community to create a visual and audio projection. In 2018, Jody was engaged as a mentor and lead artist on Flipping the script, where she created a suite of digital works with young women from the Afro-Diaspora. Also, as a mentor and video artist on Place Patterns, producing and directing eight short artist documentaries, both projects supported by Creative Victoria and Wyndham City Council.
2018, Jody completed a Master of Arts, Art in Public Space, at RMIT with Distinction, and was included on the Vice Chancellors Academic List. Currently a PhD candidate at RMIT School of Art, Jody is looking at relational and collaborative video and photography as a tool for social change.
Jody Haines is also an experienced Curator and Producer. Some previous roles include Curator Brisbane Powerhouse (2006 -2013), Guest Curator Nikon Walkley Foundation (2010 -2014), Exhibitions Manager MSF (2006), Guest Curator Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography (Bangladesh) (2013).
Jody lives and works on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples and grew up on Tommeginner country (North West Tasmania) is a descendant of the First People of the area.
Solo Exhibitions, Collections, Commissions & Awards
2020 The Power that We have... 5 x Short Film Commission, Revisiting the Possum Skin Cloaks, with Vick Couzens, Marnie Badham and RMIT.
2020 #IAMWOMAN, Eye to Eye, Through sKIN we Breathe, Lightscapes Public Art light boxes, RMIT and Melbourne Central, Vic (Postponed due to COVID 19)
2020 Feminist Futures, FCAC Temp Public Art work (Postponed due to COVID 19)
2019 #IAMWOMAN, Arts House, City of Melbourne, Vic
2019 Our People Our Place, Projection Commission, Horizon Festival, Sunshine Coast, QLD.
2019 Through sKIN we Breathe, for Same But Different, Dance Massive 2019
2018 #IAMWOMAN, Braybrook Community Hub, Vic
2018 Women Dreaming, Projection Commission, WOW 2018 and Festival 2018 Commonwealth Games
2017 Immerse Emerging Artist Award, Immerse Public Arts Festival
2017 This is not resolved, Gabriel Gallery, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Footscray, Vic.
2016 Searching for Bon, Collection of Hume City Council (Digital Collection)
Artist Residency
2019 Artist Residency, Arts House City of Melbourne, Portrait Residency with public outcome
2019 Artist Residency, Horizon Festival, QLD
2018 Artist Residency, Carriageworks, Sydney
2017 Saltwater Video Artist Residency, Wyndham City Council
2017 Women of the World Festival, Portrait Residency, FCAC, Melbourne - with public outcome
2017 Gertrude Street Projection Festival Masterclass laboratory, Testing Grounds, Melbourne
2020 Eye to Eye, Photo2020, FCAC (Postponed due to COVID 19)
2020 Hidden Footscray, Maribyrnong City Council initiative, FCAC, Vic (Postponed due to COVID 19)
2019 Her Focus, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Melbourne
2019 Digital Nation, Channels Festival and Blak Dot Gallery, Melbourne
2018 Flipping the Script, Red Arcade, Wyndham City Council
2018 All of us, Blind Side Gallery , Melbourne
2018 SALT, West Projections Festival, Melbourne
2018 SALT, Point Cook Unknown, Vic
2018 #IAMWOMAN, Women of the World, Women of The Commonwealth, 2018, Brisbane
2018 #IAMWOMAN, included in Come together, VU Metro, Melbourne
2018 This Is not Resolved, included in Tell: Contemporary Indigenous Photography, Sydney Festival, Sydney
2017 #IAMWOMAN, One night in Footscray, Public Art Festival, Melbourne
2017 #IAMWOMAN, Immerse Public Art Festival, Knox, Melbourne
2017 Future is Now, RMIT Europe, Barcelona, Spain
2017 This Is not Resolved, included in Tell: Contemporary Indigenous Photography, Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Ballarat
2017 Future is now, Gertrude Street Projection Festival, Fitzroy, Melbourne
2017 Iris Awards, PCP, Semi Finalist, Perth
2017 Footscray Art Prize (Tertiary) Shortlisted Artist. VU Metro, Footscray, Melbourne
2016 Proximity, 3 O’clock Gallery, South Bank, Melbourne
2016 Space Between Light Festival, Richmond, Melbourne
2016 Melt Portrait Prize. Brisbane (Finalist, Highly Commended)
2015 Labouring Under an Assumption, Brisbane
2014 Spirit Queen, Photography Factory, Sydney
2014 Lethbridge Art Prize, (Finalist, Highly Commended)
2013 Museum of the Long weekend, C100 Canberra
Curatorial Roles
2018
Curator - Women of the World 2018, Brisbane
2014
Curator & Exhibition Coordinator - Australia Council for the Arts, Australian Performing Arts Market, proppaNOW
Curator - Walkley Foundation Nikon Walkley Projections, Brisbane
2013
Guest Curator & Workshop Presenter & Portfolio reviewer - Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography, Dhaka Bangladesh
Curator - Walkley Foundation Nikon Walkley Projections, Brisbane
Curator, Project & Production Manager - QLD Towns Documentary project, State Library of Queensland and Griffith University
2013 – 2007
Curator & Exhibitions Coordinator - Brisbane Powerhouse, delivering over 100 exhibitions
2012
Curator - Walkley Foundation Nikon Walkley Projections, Brisbane
2006
Exhibition Manager - MSF and VII AGENCY Photographic exhibition, Congo the Forgotten War, Australian tour.
2006 – 2004
Curator & Workshop Facilitator – Photography workshops for Hazara refugees with public exhibition outcomes. Brisbane City Council.
2003
Curator, Artist & Exhibitions Coordinator - Global Citizens, a response to Australia’s refugee crisis