EDUCATION
1967
BSc (Special) Chemistry, University College London
1969
Foundation Art and Design, Croydon College of Art
1971
CSAD Postgraduate Diploma, Industrial Design University of the Arts
1982
CNNA Postgraduate Diploma Design for Disability, London Metropolitan University
1995
Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling, Institute of Education, University of London
EXHIBITIONS
1985
'The Picture of Health?' Jo Spence in collaboration with Rosy Martin and Maggie Murray. Camerawork, London.
1986
*'Don't say cheese, say lesbian' by Rosy Martin and Jo Spence. Leeds Pavillion.
1987
*'Double exposure - the minefield of memory' by Rosy Martin and Jo Spence. Photographers Gallery, London.
*'Transforming the suit - What do lesbians look like?' by Rosy Martin and Jo Spence in 'Body Politic'. Photographers Gallery, London.
*'Barefoot Pacemaker' by Rosy Martin and Francoise Sergy in 'Gathering light'. Camerawork and Chisenhale Dance Space, London.
1988
*'Behind net curtains' by Rosy Martin and Jo Spence in 'Family my history - myself'. Untitled Gallery Sheffield.
*'Notes from our psychic family albums' by Rosy Martin and Jo Spence in 'Matter of facts' - Contemporary British Photography - Musee des Beaux-Arts Nantes and touring in France 1988-89.
Spectrum - Women's Photography Festival. October 1988.
Unwind the Lies that Bind' in 'The Lesbian Gaze' The Young Unknowns
*'Unwind the lies that bind' and 'Cultural worker?' in 'Photography and Self-portraiture' Women Artists Slide Library, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
1989
*'Gold'. Phototherapy collaboration between Rosy Martin and Francoise Sergy. Bradford Museum of Photography.
*'Dirty Linen' - Phototherapy work by Rosy Martin and Jo Spence. Muziekcentrum Enschede, as part of 'British Photography' in the Foto Biennale Enschede, Netherlands.
'Happy Birthday - Junk Face' by Rosy Martin and Francoise Sergy. Prizewinner at the 'South Bank Photo Show', London.
'Through the Looking Glass - Photographic Art in Great Britain, 1945-89' Barbican Art Gallery, London.
1990
*'Jo Spence - collaborative works'. National tour in Australia.
1991
*'Family Matters?' by Rosy Martin and Jo Spence in 'Affairs of the Heart'. Untitled Gallery, Sheffield.
'Libido uprising' by Jo Spence and Rosy Martin in 'Exploring the unknown self - self-portraits of contemporary women'. Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.
*'Missing Persons / Damaged Lives'. Jo Spence in collaboration with Rosy Martin, Ya'acov Khan, David Roberts and Tim Sheard. Leeds City Art Galleries.
'Libido Uprising' Jo Spence in collaboration with Rosy Martin and 'Unbecoming Mothers' Jo Spence in collaboration with Rosy Martin, Tim Sheard and Ya'acov Khan in 'Embodiment'. Randolph Street Gallery. Chicago. November/December 1991.
*'The Generation(s) of Meaning' by Rosy Martin with Jo Spence, Penny Cloutte and Sue Isherwood and 'Unbecoming Mothers' by Jo Spence with Rosy Martin, Ya'acov Khan, Tim Sheard and Valerie Walkerdine in 'A Daughter's View'. Watershed, Bristol.
*'I Pose a Paradox: a Discourse on Smoking' by Rosy Martin in 'Breaths: Art, Health and Empowerment'. Rochdale Art Gallery. 1991. In 1992 'I Pose a Paradox' toured in Finland to Oulun nuoriso-ja kulttuurikeskus, Oulu; Galleria Luukku, Joensuu; and Hippolyte Valokuvagalleria, Helsinki.
1992
'Memento mori' by Rosy Martin and Patti Levey. Third prizewinner at 'South Bank Photo Show', Festival Hall, London.
'Transforming the suit - what does a lesbian look like' in #'Taboo: bodies talk'. 494 Gallery, 494 Broadway, New York. Jan 1992. 'National Showcase Exhibition'. Alternative Museum, 594 Broadway, New York. July 1992.
'The minefield of memory: a day in the life of a school girl, circa 1962'. 494 Gallery, 494 Broadway, New York. September 1992.
1993
'Body politics' by Rosy Martin, Jo Spence and Shari Caroline Diamond. PS 122 Gallery, 150 First Avenue, New York. January 1993.
'Middle class values?' by Jo Spence and Rosy Martin in 'Renegotiations: Class, Modernity and Photography'. Norwich Gallery.
1994
'The minefield of memory: a day in the life of a school girl, circa 1962' and 'Transforming the suit' Randolph Street Gallery, Chicago. March/April 1994.
'New mournings?' by Rosy Martin in 'In search of self'. Women's self-portrait group show. Photofusion, London. Feb/March 1994.
'A rite of inheritance' by Rosy Martin in 'Relative Values'. Photographers Gallery, London. June 1994.
'Learning letting go' by Rosy Martin in 'Make believe: South Bank Photo Show'. Festival Hall, London. June/July 1994.
*'Matters of concern: collaborative images 1982-1992' Jo Spence with Rosy Martin, David Roberts, Valerie Walkerdine, Terry Dennett, Ya'acov Khan and Maggie Murray. Festival Hall, London Sept/Oct 1994.
'Fabrications' and 'Transforming the suit: what do lesbians look like' in 'The Sexual Perspective'. Jill George Gallery, London Sept 1994.
'New mournings' and 'Lighten up' by Rosy Martin in 'Creating the subject' Women's self-portrait show. Morley Gallery, London. Sept/Oct 1994.
*'Memento mori' by Rosy Martin / Patti Levey and 'The candle of hope: acceptance' by Rosy Martin / Shari Diamond in 'Stones in her pockets'. MAC Birmingham. Sept-Oct 1994.
'Great expectations' by Rosy Martin in 'Resourceful women' Flaxman Gallery. Stoke-on-Trent. Sept 1994
'Fabrications' by Rosy Martin in 'On the funny side'. Photofusion. London. Oct-Nov 1994.
1995
'Traces of my parents' in 'Home Truths' South Bank Photo Show. Festival Hall, London Jun/Jul 1995.
'netyourother' by Rosy Martin and Nicky West in 'internet.sex.identity' to launch channel http://www.artec.org.uk/channel/sexnet/neturother
1996
'Out takes' by Rosy Martin in 'Pride in Diversity' City Art Centre. Dublin June-July 1996
'Pathways and traces: engendering a sense of the city' in 'City Limits'. Staffordshire University Sept 1996
'The minefield of memory' and 'Out-Takes'. Floating Gallery. Winnipeg. Sept - Oct 1996
'Out Takes' in 'Open Ended' Tom Blau Gallery Nov-Dec 1996
1997
'Finding questions' and 'The body remembers' in 'The Found Photograph' at Northbrook Photography Gallery Feb - April 1997.
'Poor relations?' and 'Out Takes' in A1 Art -Islington International Festival 14-28 June 1997
1998
'Pathways and traces: engendering a sense of the city' Wysing Arts Gallery March 1998
'Out Takes' and 'The body remembers' in 'Troubling Customs' at Ontario College of Art and Design Gallery February 1998; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston June 1998.
*'And then ...' in 'Confrontations' RHA-Gallagher Gallery. Dublin. June - July 1998
1999
'Too close to home?' in 'Obsessions' Standpoint Gallery. London. Jan-Feb 1999
'Too close to home?' in 'Video Invidious' Arthouse. Dublin. June-July 1999
'The Phototherapist's Tale' - one of 29 pilgrims in '/broadcast' Nina Pope and Karen Guthrie Tate Modern - Bankside Sept 1999. www.somewhere.org.uk/broadcast
2000
'Outrageous Agers' with Kay Goodridge Lighthouse Gallery. Wolverhampton. Feb-March 2000 www.varchive.org.uk/outrageous
'Too close to home?' in 'Obsessions' - @ Hereford Photography Festival - Exposure 2000 Globe Gallery Hay-on-Wye
2001
'Outrageous Agers' (mark 2) with Kay Goodridge - including 6 video installations. Focal Point Gallery, Cliffs Pavillion and the Shopping Centre. Southend. Essex. Sept - Oct 2001 www.varchive.org.uk/outrageous
2002
Too close to home?' and 'The Sitting Room' in 'Obsessions II' Huddersfield Art Gallery (Photographic and video installations)
'The vagina begins to shrivel ...' in 'Art, Age and Gender' Orleans House London 2002
2003
'Outrageous Agers' (mark 3) with Kay Goodridge - including 5 video pieces. Peri Photographic Gallery Turku Finland
'Too close to home?' and 'The Sitting Room' Folly Gallery Lancaster
'Bodyscapes': extract from 'Outrageous Agers' in 'What does Obesity mean to you?' Air Gallery, London 2003.
2007
'The Picture of Health?' Jo Spence in collaboration with Rosy Martin and Maggie Murray Documenta 12 Kassel Germany
2008
'Getting Changed' in 'Beware Personal' at K Turku Arts Institute Finland
2010
'Too close to home? Holding the everyday still' Durham Art Gallery
2011
*'Look at me! Representing self, representing Ageing' Featuring Phototherapy Workshop participants' photographs. Showroom Sheffield March-April 2011
2012
'Getting Changed' Senate House London March
*These shows had extensive touring programmes. Only the originating galleries are listed.
2013
‘Touch has a memory’ with Seija Ulkuniemi in ‘A Photograph is Not An Opinion - Contemporary Photography by Women’. Focus Photography Festival Mumbai India 2013
Self portraits in ‘Il Corpo Solitario’. Palazzo della Penna Perugia Italy 2013
2014
‘Hailuoto chic’ and ‘Embracing transience’ in Selfportrait.extended’ International Exhibition at Turku Arts Academy. 2014
‘In Situ’ and ‘Acts of Reparation’ (with Kay Goodridge) in ‘Family Ties: Reframing memory’ Peltz Gallery London 2014
2015
‘In Situ’ and ‘Acts of Reparation’ (with Kay Goodridge) in Uncertain States Open Call
4 Corners Gallery London 2015
‘Libido uprising’ in ‘Jo Spence Spotlight’ Tate Britain London 2015-16
‘Stuff: all that remains’ (7mins 30 secs) and ‘Acts of Reparation’ in ‘Co-axial’. The Cass Gallery London Metropolitan University 2015
2017
‘Acts of reparation’ and ‘In situ’ in ‘Visualising the Home’ Carlisle Photo Festival July 2017.
2019
‘Cultural Sniping: Photographic Collaborations’ in the Jo Spence Memorial Library Archive’ Peltz Gallery London 2019
Phototherapy Jo Spence and Rosy Martin 1984-86 in ‘Misbehaving Bodies: Jo Spence & Oreet Ashery’ Wellcome Collection 2019-20
2020
‘In Situ’, ‘Nesting’ and ‘Immersion’ with Seija Ulkuniemi in ‘Occupy the Void’ Photo50 London Art Fair 2020 London
‘Lockdown: Then venturing out’ and ‘Nest time to go’ with Verity Welstead in ‘Home and away collective’ at Collectives Hub. Brighton Photo Fringe. Phoenix House Art Space 2020
‘I didn’t put myself down for sainthood’ with Verity Welstead in ‘The Picture of Health - Women photographers from the Hyman collection’ at Arnolfini Bristol 2020-1
2021
‘Acts of reparation’, ‘In situ’ and ‘End of the Line’ in ’Loss’ at artP.kunstverein Perchtoldsdorf Vienna 2021
‘Letting go’ and ‘Immersion’ in 6th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography, Barcelona 2021-2
2022
‘End of the Line’ and ‘Stuff: all that remains’ in ‘Family and other Ties’ at University of the Creative Arts Farnham 2022
PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA
1992
'Looking back? Photography, memory and identity' paper and workshop given at 'Kaste, kuva ja keho seminaarin aikataulu' ('Just looking - Photographic conference on the politics of the gaze') organised by Pohjoinen valokuvakeskus Northern Photographic Centre in Oulu, Finland. 20-24 September 1992.
'Putting us all in the picture' paper given at 'Symposion uber Fotographie XIII - So oder so nicht sein/Identities' - Organised by Camera Austria at Forum Stadtpark, Graz. 16-18 October 1992.
1993
'Phototherapy, memory and identity: opening up the family album' workshops given at Fotofeis the Scottish International Festival of Photography in Edinburgh. 9, 12 June 1993.
'A cacophany of memories: a plurality of identities' paper given at conference 'Travelling through feminism in Europe: cultural and political practices' organised by Women's International Studies Europe in Paris. October 8-10 1993.
1994
'Home truths? Phototherapy, memory and identity' paper given Society of Photographic Education Thirty-First National Conference in Chicago, USA. March 10 - 13 1994.
1995
'Art, does it make a difference' workshop given at the 'Conference of European Photographers' at Fotofeis the Scottish International Photography Festival in Aberdeen 3-5 November 1995.
1998
'Performing the Selves' paper given at the Association of Art Historians 24th Annual Conference in Exeter 1998.
2000
'Outrageous Agers' Keynote/Plenary presentation at 're:generations: women age and difference' University of Northumbria at Newcastle April 2000.
2002
'Challenging Invisibility: Outrageous Agers' paper/performance given at the 'Third Wave Feminism' International Conference. Institute for Feminist Theory and Research, University of Exeter July 2002
2005
'Outrageous Agers: Challenging invisibilities through performative strategies' paper presented at the College Art Association 93rd Annual Conference, Atlanta USA Feb 2005
2007
'Outrageous Agers: performativity and transgressions' presentation at 'Ageing Femininities: Representation, Identities, Feminism.' Conference Re-Generations University of West of England. Oct 2007
'Too close to home? an exploration of a specific semi-detached suburban house.
Presentation at 'Urban Encounters Conference' Goldsmiths College London 16-17 May 2008
'Re-enactment Phototherapy:- Memory, identities and unconscious processes' keynote presentation at 'The International Conference on Phototherapy and Therapeutic Photography' at Turku Finland. June 2008.
2009
'Too close to home? holding the everyday still' Paper given at the Ist International Visual Methods conference. University of Leeds 15-17 Sept 2009
2010
'Holding the everyday still' Paper given at International Visual Sociology Conference, University of Bologna, Italy 20-22 July 2010
'Look at me!' Representing self: representing ageing. Using phototherapy techniques within a multi-disciplinary research project.' Paper given at PhototherapyEurope Researching Phototherapy and Therapeutic Photography Roehampton University 19-21 Oct 2010
2011
'From 'Outrageous Agers' to 'Look at me': Using phototherapy techniques within a multi-disciplinary research project.' Paper at PhototherapyEurope Learning and Healing with Phototherapy Symposium in Turku, Finland, February 2011
'Re-imagining Ageing by Older Women: Using phototherapeutic techniques within a multi-disciplinary research project.' Paper given at Second International Visual Methods conference, Open University 13-15th September 2011
2012
'On Looking Back: Photography, Memory and Forgetting' Keynote/Coffin Memorial Lecture at 'Family Ties: recollection and representation' Conference. Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies, University of London 9 March 2012
‘Being/Longing and Searching for Home’ paper given at ‘Home/Land: Women, Citizenship, Photographies’ Loughborough University. 5-7 July 2012
2013
‘Outrageous performativity as a disruptive strategy?’ – in Panel ‘Questioning the visual itself’ at International Visual Sociology Conference Goldsmiths College University of London 2013
‘Be/Longing and the ambivalence of home’ paper given at ‘Nostalgias: Visualising Longing’ Canterbury Christchurch University and PARC at LCC University of the Arts London. Margate 9-10 Nov 2013
2014
‘Many Faces of Self-portraits – expanding ways of working with self- portraits in psychotherapy’ paper given with Mervi Rutanen, at ‘Selfportrait.extended Symposium’ in Turku, Finland 11-13 June 2014. Finnish Phototherapy Association with I am we_interactive image -network in co-operation with Turku Arts Academy, University of Turku, and Photographic Centre Peri.
‘Unstable narratives: Revisiting Familial Photographs’ paper given at ’Picturing the Family: Media, Narrative, Memory’ Birkbeck University of London BRAKC 10-11 July 2014
‘Phototherapy and therapeutic photography as routes to self awareness.’ Paper given at PhototherapyEurope in Prisons and Elsewhere (PIPAE) Conference. University of Roehampton. 28-30 October 2014
2015
‘Mother Daughter Dilemmas – when the balance shifts’ Paper given at ‘Motherhood and creative practice: Maternal structures in creative work conference’ London South Bank University 1-2 June 2015.
2017
Keynote presentation ‘Phototherapy and Wellbeing’ at ‘Feeling Images: Photography’s relationship with Illness, Mental Health and Wellbeing’. University of the West of England 7 April 2017.
‘From ‘Too close to home?’ to ‘The end of the line’ Paper given at ‘Visualising the Home’ Conference University of Cumbria 13-4 July 2017.
2018
‘Outrageous Ageing as Activism’ Presentation at Feminist Art Activisms and Artivisms Conference at Middlesex University, 2 July 2018.
2019
‘Inhabiting the image: Photography, Therapy and re-enactment Phototherapy’. Paper given at Keynote at ‘Phototherapy Day’ Royal Photographic Society Bristol May 2019
‘Shifting the power balance: Photographic Collaboration as a transformative and subversive practice’ Keynote paper at Association of Photography in Higher Education Summer Conference ‘Photography and Collaboration’ at Coventry University July 10-12 2019
‘Embodiment, performativity and collaboration’ paper given at ‘Fast Forward: How do Women Work?’ Tate Modern 30 Nov-2 Dec 2019
2020
‘Phototherapy Day’ Royal Photographic Society/Grifo On-line Conference May 2020
2021
‘Phototherapy Day – re Covid 19 responses’ Grifo On-line Conference May 2021
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
1993
Film in the Cities. Minneapolis, USA May 1993.
1994
Randolph Street Gallery. Chicago, USA March/April 1994.
Zone Gallery. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK Oct 1994.
1995
ARTEC. London, UK
1996
Floating Gallery and Mentoring Artists for Women's Art. Winnipeg. Sept/Oct 1996
1998
The Batley Experience. Batley, UK 1998.
2003
Croydon College, UK
AWARDS
2003
'Bodyscapes': extract from 'Outrageous Agers'. Winner of 'What does Obesity Mean to You?' Award
2002
Awards for All - 'Obsessions II'
2001
London Arts Board - Individual Artists Award
1999
Millenium Award - 'Outrageous Agers'
1998
Arts for Everyone - 'Obsessions/Creating the Subject'
Arts for Everyone - 'Outrageous Agers'
1992
'Memento mori' Third prize winner at 'South Bank Photo Show'
1989
'Happy Birthday - Junk Face' Prize winner at 'South Bank Photo Show'
1986
Greater London Arts Association - Development Grant - Phototherapy
1979
Design and Industries Association - Melchet Memorial Award for Socially Responsible Design