SheShaka: Exploring Gendered and Cultural Barriers to Surfing for Women

SheShaka: addressing gendered and cultural barriers to participation in surfing

Exhibition

Monday 27th November - Friday 8th December

One of the highlights of 2023 in the Digital Studio, the Sheshaka exhibition ran for 2 weeks and attracted many visitors from both inside and outside the University. Below is a documentation of some of the artworks displayed during the exhibition.

Patriarchy flows into the surf and sea

black and white photo of 3 surfboards in sand with the words 1 in 3

woman on skaetboard holding a surboard that reads midlife crisis

black and white symbols for man and woman stuck into sand

Being a surfer ... and a mum

woman facing the ocean holding a baby

adult standing on oceans edge with 3 children in wetsuits and surfboards

woman sat in wetsuit against a wallk that reads milk bar with blue surfboard next to her

woman and two children on surfboard together laughing as they surf in the waves

Surfing redefines our relationship with ourselves

Macca on a surfboard paddling out in the waves while a sunbeam streaks through behind

black and white photo of person diving under still water in the ocean

woman lies down surrounding by surfing gear

photo of someone's feet in the ocean in a wetsuit

collage of photos of surfing, preparing surfboard, getting into wetsuit

Who owns the surf?

two women stand on beach looking out at blue ocean

woman in wetsuit holding surfboard coming out of ocean with a golden retriever bounding next to her

two women waiting for surf

signs planted into sand on beach that say keep out, do not enter, residents parking only

The exhibition was the work of the wonderful participants in the SheShaka: addressing gendered and cultural barriers to participation in surfing project, the organisers Gemma Tarpey-Brown, Research Assistant, and Associate Professor Karen Block, from the Gender and Women's Health Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health.

For details of the exhibition launch, see here.

These images are subject to copyright, please do not use or distribute them without proper permissions sought.