Throughout the history of photography, African women’s bodies have been repeatedly objectified and fetishized. A new exhibition aims to shift the focus towards women’s gazes.

Beginning this fall, Ryerson Image Centre presents The Way She Looks: A History of Female Gazes in African Portraiture, a major exhibition that highlights female acts of looking that challenge the male-dominated narrative of the medium.

Guest curated by Sandrine Colard and organized by the RIC in collaboration with The Walther Collection, The Way She Looks will showcase over 100 contemporary works by both female and male practitioners from across Africa, as well as twentieth-century studio portraits and early colonial images and albums. With a rare glimpse into the history of photography in Africa, the series emphasizes how the female experience has often been overlooked, and the way women have repositioned themselves as subjects in front of the camera to photographers behind it.

A full schedule of free public programming, including tours and talks, is available here.