Fiona Clark (photographer)

Fiona Clark was born in Inglewood in 1954 and attended Inglewood High School, which she noted to have not felt that she fit in, from an early age. Clark also said that her time at Inglewood High School taught her about survival as a young woman, citing the violence and the two murders that occurred there. Clark's family were farmers, but she has said they were not "typical farmers". Her brothers were arrested for protesting against the Vietnam War and encouraged her and her siblings to attend university. She notes having a fascination with New Zealand woman Amy Bock, after her Grandfather shared her story. At the age of 16, Clark moved to Auckland to attend the Elam School of Fine Arts. She was initially enrolled in performing arts, but moved into the photography department in her third year in 1974. == Career ==

Queer culture Clark's work is predominantly social documentary photography, and she was one of the first photographers to cover New Zealand's LGBTQ+ scene. She was notable in documenting parts of the queer community in the 1970s and 1980s, on Auckland's Karangahape Road. This included photographing drag culture and queer nightlife in clubs such as the KG Club, Mojo's and Las Vegas. Clark also documented the emerging punk subculture in New Zealand. In 2021 a documentary about Clark was made by Lula Cucchiara about Clark's work. == Personal life ==

Clark is a lesbian. In an interview she said:I used to have a saying on my wall: ‘Once I was a tomboy and now I’m a full-grown lesbian.’ One day I crossed out the last half and wrote ‘but now I’m queer’. Even that label will probably change.Clark was friends with, and used to photograph often, Carmen Rupe who called her "my photographer Fiona." Rupe used some of these photos for her Christmas and business cards. In 1977 Clark, aged 23, was involved in a motorcycle crash which broke her jaw and shattered many bones in her face, leaving her with an inverted eye. == Exhibitions ==

• 1975, The Active Eye, Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North • 2002, Go Girl, Govett-Brewster Gallery • 2009, Amy Bock, South Otago Museum, Otago • 2016, Niccole Duval, Michael Lett • 2016, For Fantastic Carmen, Artspace NZ, Auckland • 2016, For Pink Pussycat Club, Artspace NZ, Auckland • 2016–7, All Lines Converge, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery (with L. Budd, and et al.) • 2017, Te iwi o te wahi kore, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt == Awards ==

• 1980: Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council grant to photograph the "Mr Olympia" body building contest in Sydney ==Films==

• Fiona Clark: Unafraid (2021) – documentary, directed by Lula Cucchiara == References ==