Joanne Leonard: Photographs and Collages

HackelBury proudly presents the first UK solo exhibition by acclaimed artist, Joanne Leonard. ‘Vintage Photographs and Collages’ features vintage photographs from the 1960s and 1970s and unique early collage pieces from 1969 to the 1980s. This retrospective offers an intimate look into Leonard’s artistic evolution and her innovative approach to visual storytelling.

Known for her evocative and deeply personal imagery which she describes as “intimate documentary”, Leonard’s work from this era captures a profound sense of time and place, blending documentary-style photography with poetic and dreamlike compositions. Her early collages incorporate found imagery, handwritten text, and layered textures, reflecting an experimental approach which challenges conventional artistic boundaries.

Leonard's practice provides a striking glimpse into the social and cultural landscapes of the mid-20th century, portraying moments of everyday life with a deeply humanistic perspective. Underpinned by a feminist ideology, which recognises overlooked intimate and deeply personal moments within women’s lives, Leonard’s focus on the ephemera of women´s lives in her early black and white photography is later applied to her photo collage and mixed media work to create a distinct visual language which foreshadows contemporary mixed-media practices.