David Hill Gallery presents the first British exhibition of Drummies by the South African photographer Alice Mann – her flagship series, winner of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, of South African female drum majorette teams, featuring previously unpublished photographs from the series.
Alice spent four years photographing girls in schools in the Western Cape and Gauteng. Her joyful portraits capture the strength, confidence and pride that are vital in communities where opportunities for young women are very limited. Alice explains: “Drummies is part of my ongoing work that explores notions of femininity and empowerment in modern society.”
The New Yorker praised Mann, writing: “Drummies modernizes the male-dominated genre of flashy sports photography to capture girls who are mostly from low-income families in the townships.”
“What stands out is the confidence in the gaze and posture of the girls in the photographs. This is evident across all age groups and says as much about the girls’ personalities as it does about the way Mann is able to build a relationship with the people she photographs.” – Christine Eyene, art critic
“There are so many images that come from a particular point of view, which is often a male, Eurocentric, Westernised point of view – it’s important that we make that broader and more inclusive.” – Alice Mann
In 2018, when Mann was just 27, Drummies won the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. Mann had submitted four images of Drummies, which led to the first series win in the prize’s history. As a result, the four winning images were exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, they went on to win the Grand Prix du Jury de photographie in Hyères in 2019, and Alice’s Drummies was nominated for the Sony World Photography Awards 2019 and was exhibited at Somerset House.
Alice Mann: Drummies
September 19 – November 30, 2024
David Hill Gallery
345 Ladbroke Grove
London W10 6HA
www.davidhillgallery.net
