Starkey, Hannah

British, b. 1971

BiographyHannah Starkey carefully constructs her photographic works with the focus on the female perspective. Her compositions and precise use of light are heavily inspired by film and reminiscent of the realist paintings of Edward Hopper. Starkey often places her models in familiar locations, such as seated at a dining room table or gazing out a kitchen window; yet, the mood of the pictures have a staged and dramatic eeriness to them. The women appear lost in reverie, lonelily staring into space with oftentimes unidentifiable characteristics. Working to subvert conventional notions of beauty and the common portrayal of women in photographs, Starkey repeatedly turns her subjects backs to the viewer or casts them in heavy shadow, obscuring indicators of race or age.

Hannah Starkley completed her BA in Photography and Film at Napier University in Edinburgh (1995) and her MA in Photography at Royal College of Art in London (1997). She is recipient of numerous awards, including the Photographer’s Gallery Award (1997); the 3rd International Tokyo Photo Biennale’s Award for Excellence (1999); and the St. James Group Ltd Photography Prize (2002). Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions worldwide. Solo exhibitions of her work have been held at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin (2000); the Mead Gallery at Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry (2011); and the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris (2016); among others. Starkey’s photographs are included in the collections of institutions such as Huis Marseille, Amsterdam; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; Castsello di Rivoli, Turin; Seattle Art Museum, WA; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; and Tate Gallery, London.