For the poetesses
Jenny Matthews
From ‘Facial De-recognition’
Embroidered photograph on linen 2021
I was shocked when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan again in the summer of 2021. As a documentary photographer it has always been important for me to know who I’m photographing; to talk to people, know their names and show their faces. As the Taliban re-entered Kabul and took control of the country I felt compelled to make a statement about women I had photographed over the past 35 years.
I printed photos from my archive onto linen and cotton, painted out the background in the original photos with block colours of acrylic paint and then added embroidery to both honour and disguise them. Embroidery references the clandestine activity of women in Herat during the previous Taliban rule (1996-2001) when women would meet as part of the Golden Needle Sewing School, ostensibly to sew but in reality to study literature. I wanted to capture this spirit of defiance. Sewing is perceived as a harmless female activity but there have always been subversive stitchers and needlework has been a tool of feminist protest.
On a personal level the meditative process of sewing is an opportunity to assess the history I have lived through and deal with the frustration and sorrow of knowing that for many Afghan women the freedoms they had gained so briefly are once again being curtailed and their lives are, yet again, on hold. Each image is dedicated to a specific group of women who have seen their dreams crumble and their opportunities dashed. This particular image is dedicated to poets and writers.
Specification
Jenny Matthews
Jenny Matthews is a documentary photographer and filmmaker working on issues of dispossession and human rights with a particular emphasis on the lives of women and girls. She has worked all over the world covering momentous historical events including the guerrilla war and independence of Eritrea, the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and the genocide in Rwanda.
Jenny’s book 'Women and War', chronicling 20 years of women worldwide affected by conflict was published in 2003 and exhibited widely. She is working on a second volume entitled ‘Stories of Love and War’ as well as documenting life in her community in Hackney, East London.
Your Print
When will I receive my print?
We produce prints in a batch every two weeks. Shipping can take up to one week in the UK, and two to three weeks internationally. Orders should be received within 3-5 weeks depending on your location.
What will I receive?
Your print will be posted flat, in a protective sleeve, to avoid damage or curling in transit. Prints come with a Panos Prints provenance certificate with background information about the image and the photographer.
The paper is A4 sized, the image will be smaller than A4 with a white border around it - see Image Specification for exact image size. Borders will be laid out as demonstrated by the print images on the site. We do not provide framing services and images of framed prints are only meant to be illustrative.
Print Care
Paper and ink
We print on Hahnemuhle Baryta FB, an archival fibre based 350gsm fine art paper. It is a bright white paper with a traditional character finish and heavy weighting. This paper has long been the industry standard paper for digital printing.
What is a giclée print?
Giclée comes from French and literally means ‘squirt’, referring to the spray of very fine drops of ink that produce an inkjet print. We print with archival paper and pigment inks to the accepted standards of fine art giclee printing found within the collectors market. Prints should last over a hundred years and with care longer than this. Avoiding extremes of light, heat and humidity will help prolong the life of your print.