Sheilas

Sheilas documents the ultimate girl gang; exploring the culture and community within numerous all female motorcycle clubs in Victoria, Australia. The series follows these clubs over the course of multiple months at festivals, rides, catchups and other general shenanigans, and candidly captures the reality behind being a member of a female motorcycle club.

Despite the fact that female motorcycle clubs are not a new phenomenon and there are at the very least, many hundreds of women who are locally part of this subculture, the lack of documentation and representation of Australian female motorcyclists in the media is shockingly evident. This only further encourages common misconceptions surrounding the clubs; for example when I began working on the series I was often asked whether it was safe for me to do so and if the clubs were dangerous. Many of these groups are incredibly groundbreaking in a lot of ways; The Litas have thousands of members all over the world and were one of the original groups formed exclusively for women who ride. Dykes on Bikes have been running for many years, and were formed to help out gay men who were being assaulted in the 1980s. Despite such an extensive and interesting history, the stories of these clubs have never really been told.  

While photographing the series it became clear that this community shares more in common than just a keen interest in motorcycles; there’s a strong sense of reclaiming the activity and challenging gendered stereotypes surrounding moto culture. Sheilas aims to offer an alternative perspective to stereotypical (and often sexist) depictions of women who ride, by chronicling a group of women finding freedom and connection through motorcycle culture.

The motorcycle clubs photographed for Sheilas are The Leatherettes, The Litas and Dykes on Bikes. The series is shot entirely on 35mm film, and exclusively on Kodak Gold. 

Press:

Archer Magazine, Moto Est.