Australian artist and Deakin University lecturer Anne Scott Wilson delivered a public talk at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) as part of the public lecture program for the major exhibition Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light.
The presentation explored the contributions of the pioneering women photographers who shaped the exhibition. Drawing on her own background as a classical dancer, Wilson's lecture reflected on how these historical artists used innovation, resilience, and vision to shape visual history and create new space for women's voices in the 21st century.
The Exhibition
Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light brings together an extraordinary body of work by women who pushed the boundaries of the photographic medium across seven decades. From pictorialism and portraiture to documentary and abstraction, these artists challenged conventions of what photography could be and who could make it.
Connecting Past and Present
Wilson's lecture drew threads between the experimental approaches of early 20th-century women photographers and her own contemporary practice, which spans pinhole photography, inkjet printing on daguerreotype canvas, and AI-assisted image generation. The talk considered how the impulse to innovate — to find new ways of seeing through a lens — connects generations of women artists working with light.
The embodied knowledge of dance, Wilson argued, informs a particular sensitivity to movement, time and spatial awareness that resonates deeply with the photographic practices on display. These women didn't simply record the world — they choreographed light.
Watch the Full Talk
The full recording of the NGV public lecture is available above. It offers insights into the exhibition, the artists featured, and the continuing relevance of their work to contemporary art practice.