Read more about our latest visual arts project below, and stay tuned for what’s next.
Free Exhibition: Every Saturday between 17th Sep & 3rd Dec, 10:30am - 6pm |Live Podcast Recording: Sep 29th, 8pm - 9pm | Workshop for 14 to 19 yrs: Oct 8th 11am - 1.30pm
“Having that visual representation of somebody that looks like you in a space where you don’t typically see people like that, I think is really really powerful”
The Fighting Spirit of South London is a photography exhibition showcasing the strength behind the Muay Thai and MMA communities of south London.
Shot by former martial arts practitioner Aneesa Dawoojee, the intimate collection of 40 portraits shows the courage of the fighters in their personal lives, as well as in the ring. In addition to the main exhibition, which ran until December, Streatham Space Project held a workshop for young people aged 14 to 19 years old, and a live podcast event, hosted by Jayson Mansaray (2019 RA Exhibition Host, BBC 2) where the fighters and the photographer spoke about their personal victories in front of a live audience.
Scroll down to find out how the project came about.
Video Credits: Dominic Jacobs | Click here to watch the full video.
Fascinated by the coexistence of strength and vulnerability, Aneesa focuses on capturing stories of people who fight as a form of expression - exploring how combat sports, such as Muay Thai, are metaphors for survival and self-discovery.
The Fighting Spirit of South London presents an intimate look into the lives of south London fighters, unravelling stories of struggle, loss, love, hope and victory. It’s a love letter to strength in resilience, which puts the voices of its subjects at its centre - a beautiful representation of life with all its flaws and beauty.
“Working with London’s most hard-to-reach young people for a significant part of my life has helped me to understand and respect the experience and emotions of the communities I work with. The classical lighting and authenticity of the subjects are important to reflect the honesty and historical value in the stories”
Having practiced Muay Thai recreationally on and off since her teens, Aneesa was initially drawn to dramatic fight-night photography of martial arts bouts. Looking to capture the speed of the fighters in the ring, in 2019 she earned the trust of Muay Thai master instructor Kru Sam and began shooting Muay Thai fight events. She then began shooting portraits of the fighters to go alongside.
Aneesa’s previous work as a mediator within the charity sector helped her to create a safe space for non-judgemental conversations with her subjects, who began to share their life stories, in and out of the ring.
Aneesa started to connect the discipline of training with the spiritual strength of the fighters. At this point, she paused shooting, and took some time to storyboard the project.
Reaching out to fellow photographers Phil Melia and Dr Mark Hall, she firmed up the approach to the project, drawing on, among others, August Sander’s photographs of ordinary Germans in inter-war Germany, People of the 20th Century.
Shot between 2019 and 2022, the resulting portraits are the result of hours of shooting and building trust with the fighters, to document their victories and the inner strength of their sporting community
Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photographers, Aneesa Dawoojee has been featured in international publications such as Forbes Woman Africa, the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Humanity Vol. 4, and was one of the final exhibitors for the Royal Photographic Society International Exhibition in Bristol. She recently featured in a campaign for Wex Photo Video called Change the Image, focusing on 'women in industry' who are trying to change the way we see the world through photography.
Read more about Aneesa’s experience
IG @aneesaimages | Website aneesadawoojee.com
This event has been organised in collaboration with the Artist Aneesa Dawoojee and is funded by the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants.
We are inviting young people with an interest in photography to take part in a FREE photographic workshop, inspired by The Fighting Spirit of South London Exhibition and led by award-winning Documentary Photographer Aneesa Dawoojee.
Stories of Strength from south London’s Muay Thai community, hosted by Jayson Mansaray (2019 RA Exhibition Host, BBC 2)
