Xanthe Hutchinson

Photography

Feb 5

Photographer London, UK

Xanthe Hutchinson is Photographer and Art Director based between Leeds and London, UK. Xanthe is an award winning female fashion photographer and a part of PhotoVogue Festival 2022. Having completed her Master's project, which saw her explore visibility and Trans embodiment, she continues to work with her Trans son on an ongoing visual exploration of what it is to transition. She is also working on a piece that focuses on a unique relationship that women have with wetness. Focussing primarily on change and the liminality of adolescence, Xanthe visually explores the hinterland of bodily transition.

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I was first introduced to photography early on in life. My mother had a little Kodak she would use, and it instilled in me such a sense of magic from a young age — the idea that these memories, all this joy or even pain, could be fixed forever. After completing a Philosophy degree and a brief stint in law, I returned to my passion and began a Photography degree. For me, it was like coming home.

I look to find and fix the beauty inherent in moments, physicalities, expression, and movement. My work centres primarily on change and liminality — from adolescence to menopause — transition is a space to be explored. I see photographs as tiny but powerful moments from a continuum, so creating an image that gives the viewer a sense of what came before, or perhaps what will happen after, is key. Something I notice most about my work is that I often project my feelings of uncertainty, vulnerability, and statelessness into the images. I hope that the viewer will also impart their own sensibilities into the reading. The beauty of a photograph is that it can mean many things to many people.

I want to create work that makes people think or feel something. Hopefully, my work will open up conversations. Many of the issues I choose to address involve visibility or lack thereof. I offer a chance for people who feel unseen to help forge their own mode of representation. Being the focus of a photograph or a whole series of photographs allows for this on some level.