Fiona Clark: Unafraid

Special PRIDE Festival screening and conversation

Fiona Clark is one of Aotearoa’s most notable photographers but, thanks to the repressive environment of 1970s’ New Zealand, her career was almost stubbed out before it began. The artist’s early images captured the heady local excitement of gay liberation that mainstream society was not ready to accept; her negatives were censored; images were pulled from an exhibition; and art dealers refused to work with her.

Four decades later, Fiona Clark: Unafraid recounts how the photographer overcame censorship, homophobia, sexism and debilitating physical injuries to become one of our most respected social documentarians. The film invites audiences inside the decommissioned Taranaki dairy factory that Fiona calls her home and office, with its abandoned ex-freezing chamber converted into a darkroom and powered by its own natural-gas well and repaired by the photographer herself. Through a series of candid interviews, the documentary paints a picture of the artist as an eclectic, staunchly independent force of nature.

Although Fiona is best known for documenting Auckland’s nascent queer scene (of which she was an active participant), the film also affords a rich reflection on her diverse portfolio, including collaborating with tangata whenua to fight environmental degradation and documenting a burgeoning Kiwi bodybuilding community. Join us for a screening of the new documentary, Fiona Clark: Unafraid, by director/filmmaker Lula Cucchiara followed by an invigorating conversation between friends Fiona Clark and Ron Brownson, Senior Curator, New Zealand Art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.  ‘Fiona Clark: Unafraid – Special PRIDE Festival screening and conversation’ is proud to be part of the Auckland Pride Festival.

Entry is free, however visitor capacity is limited. Please register for tickets under Ticket info. In the event that we are unable to proceed during PRIDE month due to COVID-19, a postponement date has been set for Sunday 15 May 2022, 2–4pm. At the Red and Orange settings of the Covid-19 Protection Framework, we can welcome a maximum of 30–60 people with 1-metre distancing. At the Green setting of the Covid-19 Protection Framework, we can welcome a maximum of 150 people. To keep you safe, wearing a face mask, scanning in using the NZ COVID tracer app, and showing us your My Vaccine Pass is required. We look forward to hosting you and sharing this wonderful event!