Portrait by Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher
I am a photographic artist based in rural Victoria, on the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples. My work spans narrative portraiture, still life, and urban landscapes, exploring the relationships between people, objects, and places, guided by curiosity and intuition. I’m drawn to simplicity, how something feels, and the stories that quietly 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 personal and private work.
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 art books and received national and international recognition through exhibitions and publications, including the Ricoh GR Photo Festival Japan, Ballarat International Foto Biennale, and The Guardian.
About
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 Magazine Publication
2025 - To The Sea - Shutter Hub Editions Publication
2022 - The#everydayclimatecrisis Visual Petition - The Guardian
2022 - The Road Trip Shutter 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