209 Women (2018-19)

Anne Marie Morris, MP for Newton Abbot
by Monika Fischbein ©2018

"I invited Anne Marie to an East London studio to make her portrait. The Chiaroscuro lighting setup complemented her dark hair and choice of navy jacket and skirt with white piping. I wanted the images to be free from distractions and Anne Marie’s presence to communicate her strength and grace at the same time. The final image reflects the deep perceptive nature of women. The importance of partaking in this project was to echo the female empowerment that will allow future generations’ true potential to be unlocked."

“TO REPRESENT AND BE PRESENTED FOR WHAT WE ARE – AS WOMEN, BY WOMEN – IS A VERY SPECIAL THING. THIS IS WHAT 209 WOMEN IS ALL ABOUT.”

Helen Pankhurst, Great Granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst

This landmark exhibition features portraits of 209 female MPs, photographed by the UK's leading 209 female photographers. It coincides with the centenary of the first election where women could cast a vote, and one hundred years after women gained the right to sit in Parliament as MPs.

UK Parliament, 2018

Into the Arena (2018-9)

I was on a visiting lecture tour in Spain in 2016, when I became fascinated with the idea of Bullfighting and it to be an expression of Spanish national identity. I devoured literature and endless material studying this topic. La corrida is deeply steeped in and engraved in Spanish social identity with its traditions, symbolism and rituals that accompany each faena. I'd impart information about this to anyone who was willing to listen, about how we are influenced by societies' heritage.

Then at the end of 2017, I took a leap of faith and moved to Spain. I have then turned my attention to the story of Toro de Lidia, the Spanish Fighting Bull himself and that the highest honour for the bull, breeder and ultimately for the torero, is not to kill the bull, but to showcase his fighting abilities to such level that he becomes El Toro Inultado, a pardoned bull, therefore he lives.

National Identity Project (2017)

National Still Life (2015)

This project is a photographic elegy that explores how one's national identity affects the creative work produced. The images are a form of psychoanalytical diagnoses trigged by nostalgic childhood memories related to the homeland. Images can resonate with the larger audience, as the projects deals with timely topics such as displacement, sense of belonging and cultural duality.
This project was exhibited in 2016 at London Photomonth,
Sofia Photomonth and in Istanbul.