Portraits by Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher
Originally from Britain and now living and working on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in rural Victoria, I am a photographic artist working across narrative portraiture, still life, and urban landscapes. My work explores the relationships between people, place, and memory, guided by curiosity and intuition. I am drawn to simplicity, to how something feels, and to the quiet stories that unfold when nothing grand is happening.
Alongside my creative practice, I spent over a decade working in music and diversional therapy, supporting people experiencing cognitive decline. This work deepened my understanding of memory — how it persists, fades, and is reconstructed — and how it shapes identity. These insights continue to inform my broader practice.
Long-term projects sit at the core of my practice, providing space to experiment and move in new directions. Commissioned work is approached with a person-centred sensibility and care, resulting in images that are observational and grounded in lived experience.
I have self-published two photographic books, ‘Room Service’ and ‘The Empty Nest’ alongside national and international exhibitions and publications.
SELF PUBLISHED BOOKS
2025 - Room Service
Photographed over three nights in a Japanese hotel, Room Service, a quiet study of space intimacy and solitude. Lingering on the ordinary, revealing a quiet beauty behind closed doors.
2024 - ‘T E N’ The Empty Nest Book & Solo Exhibition -
(Taradale Mineral Springs Festival) - Shelf Life Gallery, Taradale, Victoria, Australia
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2024 - 20th Julia Margaret Cameron Fine Art Award for women photographers FotoNostrum Barcelona
2024 - Ricoh GR Photo Festival group exhibition Japan
2023 - Shutter Hub 'To The Sea' At Saint Giles Croix de Vie, France
2023 - 'Wall Of Women' Unexposed Collective at The Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2023 Victoria, Australia
2022 - Magnet Galleries Virtual Exhibition ‘Still Living’
2020 - Artists of The Unexposed Collective at Head On Photo Festival Sydney, Australia
AWARDS
2024 - Ricoh GR Photo Festival Winning Entry ‘Everyday Life’
2023 - The 20th Julia Margaret Cameron Awards for Women Photographers -
Honourable mentions in the Portrait, Nature & Still Life Awards
2020 - Photo Collective, Finalist - Australian Photography Awards - Open/Illustrative Category
PUBLICATIONS & ONLINE FEATURES
2026 - BILLY MagazinePublication, edition 1 & edition 3
2025 - To The Sea - Shutter Hub Editions Publication
2022 - The#everydayclimatecrisis Visual Petition - The Guardian
2022 - The Road TripShutter Hub Publication
2021 - Lacalleesnuestra (Interview)
2020 - APA Annual - APA Annual (Photo Collective, Australian Photography Awards)
2020 - The Pictorial - List Collective (Interview)
2020 - The Pictorial - List Collective (The Debutante)
2020 - Dodho (Issue 12)
2020 - The Visual Conservancy PEER #2
2020 - The Cultural Magazine
COLLECTIONS
Private collections Australia and International
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