Jo Spence
author · photographer
Jo Spence (1934–1992) was a British photographer, writer, cultural worker, and photo therapist. She began her career in commercial photography, running a studio specializing in family portraits and wedding photos from 1967 to 1974. In the 1970s, she shifted toward documentary photography with socialist and feminist themes, becoming a founding member of the Hackney Flashers collective. Spence was also an educator and broadcaster who studied the theory and practice of photography at the Polytechnic of Central London (now University of Westminster) under Victor Burgin. She is well known for her politicized approach to image-making and her pioneering work in 'photo therapy,' which used photography as a tool for psychological health, particularly during her own battle with breast cancer.[1,2,3]
Themes
- feminism
- socialism
- domesticity
- illness
- identity
Books
Works by Jo Spence
- Family Snaps: The Meanings of Domestic Photography 1991 · Virago Press Ltd · book · English ISBN 9781853812705 Edited with Patricia Holland.
- Putting Myself in the Picture: a Political, Personal and Photographic Autobiography 1986 · Camden Press · book · English ISBN 0-948491-14-0
- Beyond the Perfect Image. Photography, Subjectivity, Antagonism 2005 · MACBA · book · English Exhibition catalogue.
Exhibitions
- 2012 Jo Spence: Work (Part I) SPACE, London solo
- 2012 Jo Spence: Work (Part II) Studio Voltaire, London solo

