Gemma Shepherd
Gemma Shepherd, b.1993 is a Cape Town based interdisciplinary artist using photography, video and object art to meditate on issues of self, belonging and becoming. Being mixed race Shepherd grew up in a liminal state of ‘in between, pushing her into an internal grappling with her own identity, place in society and life at large, which she navigates through multiple mediums. After completing a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cape Town, she entered the fashion industry, which ultimately led her to photography; her predominant medium for the past few years. While Shepherd phases in and out of various creative spheres, she is consciously navigating multiple mediums without confining herself to any particular one. In 2019 Shepherd founded the Orms Circle Mentorship Programme as well as co-curating ‘Kwantlandlolo’, the resulting solo exhibition by Yonela Makoba. In 2020 Shepherd showcased her first body of work in the exhibition ‘Feminist Utopia’ at Ebony/CURATED Gallery, curated by Anelisa Mangcu. Since then Shepherd has been collaborating with Rochelle ‘Rharha’ Nembhard on a project exploring the relationship between women and earth, the most recent of which has been published in the British Journal of Photography.
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