Jo SPENCE (1934-1992) emerged as a key figure in British photography in the mid-1970s. Engaging with a range of photographic genres, from commercial to documentary and photo therapy, Spence took a unique approach to the camera, swerving academic theories and embracing a model based on experimentation and personal experience.

Though we know Spence as an activist, feminist and social photographer, she began her career as a commercial photographer. Weddings, family portraits and baby photos were her mainstay, opening her eyes to how images are encoded with performance and value – the staging of the beautiful bride, perfect family and angelic children.

Photo therapy presented new forms of representation that allowed for multiple, fragmented selves and a tool to deal with this multi-faceted nature of being. For Spence, the central question became: how can individuals – namely children, women and the working class – use photography to represent themselves and take control of their own visual narratives?

The series further extended her lifelong interrogation and decoding of sexuality, family and class, whilst highlighting her rejection of artistic givens, favouring process over object and collaboration over sole ownership. Spence continued collaborating with others, including the psychotherapist Dr Tim Sheard and artist Valerie Walkerdine as well as her artistic and romantic partner Terry Dennett, until her death in 1992.