UN Women Australia is proud to host a free public exhibition to celebrate the stories of extraordinary women from across the world who have overcome incredible challenges.

This exhibition will showcase the stunning work of Barbora Baronová and Dita Pepe, whose book on Australian women is part of a free-form literary and photographic series, Voices of Women, exploring the lives of contemporary women from diverse parts of the world.

On display will be 28 powerful images of women and their stories from the book, highlighting the plight and voices of women around the world.

The Voices of Women: Australia is based on documentary material recorded during a research stay of Barbora Baronová at the University of New South Wales.

During her five months here, she conducted countless documentary interviews with prominent local artists, writers, filmmakers, activists, photographers, scientists, and journalists, exploring themes inherent in women regardless of their different cultures – their positions in society, the expectations placed on them, and their career options.

Among the people telling their stories is prominent feminist Anne Summers, who describes her own abortion as one of the moments that initiated her activism. Anthropology professor Diane Bell tells the story of a struggle for respect for women in science. Alison Whittaker’s story is the tale of a young Australian lesbian poet’s journey from rural communities to Harvard Law.

The story of Olga Horak and Halina Robinson reflects the topic of the Holocaust – while Olga survived five concentration camps, Halina was thrown over the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto and was on the run from the Nazis for eighteen months.

All of the women had their portraits taken by Dita Pepe.

This powerful exhibition is not to be missed. It has been generously presented free to the public thanks to the support of Consulate General of the Czech Republic, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade NSW, the Consulate General of the Argentine Republic and the Spanish Embassy.