Following on from the inaugural QUAD/ FORMAT Graduate Fellowships that began in 2020, we are pleased to announce the artist selected for 2024 – Fiona Middleton.

The Fellowship was created as an annual award to recognise outstanding graduating students from the University of Derby MA Fine Art and MA Film & Photography course – selected by members of the QUAD/ FORMAT Curatorial team. Fiona will be doing the residency on 19 Aug – 1 Sept and undertaking an Instagram takeover from 19-23 Aug 2024.

Artist Bio
Fiona is a UK based photographer who, after an accounting career, has returned to her native East Midlands to undertake a Photography BA(Hons) and an MA at the University of Derby. She works mainly, but not exclusively, in black and white analogue photography, developing her own negatives and hand printing images.

Fiona’s practice encompasses a broad range of genres and enjoys street photography and landscape, however most project work considers women’s social issues such as attitudes to menopause, domestic violence, the stereotyping of women, and everyday sexism.

“I love the process of making, so the hours in the darkroom developing film and hand printing images is, for me, a kind of therapy.”

Artist Statement
Cracks in the Culture of Complicity

“For every woman who manages to stand up and say No, there is another harasser who will think twice next time. For every bystander who intervenes, there’s another crack in the culture of complicity.” Laura Bates – Everyday Sexism, 2014

Sexism is a pervasive and deeply rooted social issue and continues to persist in varying forms. While blatant acts of discrimination garner attention, it is crucial to recognise the prevalence of everday sexism, seemingly harmless and subtle manifestations of gender bias that perpetuates inequality.

This work is a personal reflection of instances and experiences of everyday sexism and hopefully a reminder to all that we need to oppose everyday sexism, make cracks in the culture of complicity, and be mindful that sexism, however, benign should not be our norm.

femphotography.com