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about
Giya Makondo-Wills is a British-South African photographer, educator and talk show host based in The Netherlands, although you can sometimes find her in South Africa or the U.K.
While her foundations lie in documentary photography, her practice has evolved alongside shifting cultural understandings of representation, documentation, and witnessing.
Working across the still image, text, sound, archives and moving image – her stories stem from questions of identity, community, systems of power, and challenging dominant narratives. De-colonial and decentering Eurocentric modes of thinking are central to her practice, as is the preservation of the stories from the margins.
In 2024, Giya became a Magnum Foundation Fellow. In 2022, she joined the FUTURES Photography network. Since 2021 she has been a lecturer in the BA Photography program at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague since. She also runs guest workshops internationally and hosts the live talk show FOTODOK Book Talks at Tivoli Vredenburg.
Since 2017, she has collaborated on various projects internationally, participating in de-colonial exchanges with practitioners from various fields and served on juries and steering groups developing arts education and opportunities for marginalised artists. She has been commended for her work and regularly exhibited and published her work internationally.
She is available for workshops, public speaking engagements, commissions and collaborations. For an extended CV please get in touch.
contact
instagram
email

about
Giya Makondo-Wills is a British-South African photographer, educator and talk show host based in The Netherlands, although you can sometimes find her in South Africa or the U.K.
While her foundations lie in documentary photography, her practice has evolved alongside shifting cultural understandings of representation, documentation, and witnessing.
Working across the still image, text, sound, archives and moving image – her stories stem from questions of identity, community, systems of power, and challenging dominant narratives. De-colonial and decentering Eurocentric modes of thinking are central to her practice, as is the preservation of the stories from the margins.
In 2024, Giya became a Magnum Foundation Fellow. In 2022, she joined the FUTURES Photography network. Since 2021 she has been a lecturer in the BA Photography program at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague since. She also runs guest workshops internationally and hosts the live talk show FOTODOK Book Talks at Tivoli Vredenburg.
Since 2017, she has collaborated on various projects internationally, participating in de-colonial exchanges with practitioners from various fields and served on juries and steering groups developing arts education and opportunities for marginalised artists. She has been commended for her work and regularly exhibited and published her work internationally.
She is available for workshops, public speaking engagements, commissions and collaborations. For an extended CV please get in touch.
exhibitions
They Came From The Water While The World Watched
Brighton Fringe Festival, Brigton, England. May - June 2025
Grounding, Stories of Migration – FOTODOK x BredaPhoto, Journeys Edition.
Breda Photo Festival. Breda, The Netherlands. September - November 2024
Our Cultural Connection to Water
Royal Maritime Museum Greenwich, London, England. March 2023 - February 2024
Bodies in (e)motion - From Where I Stand, Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie
Kunstverein Ludwigshafen and other locations, Germany. March - May 2022
CROYANCES, faire et defaire l'invisible
Cultural Institue of Islam – Paris, France. March 2020 - January 2021
Photo Vogue, BASE
Milan, Italy. November 2018
Hiareth. An MA Documentary photography group show.
Truman Brewery – London, England. October 2018
FOUNDATION. An exhibition celebrating the best photographic talent nurtured in the South West
Poly, Falmouth, England. April 28th-2nd May 2018
Duesseldorf Photo Weekend 2018 'Neighbourhood'
Dusseldorf, Germany. 16th -18th February 2018
Cream 17: A Showcase of Graduate Photography Talent
Crane Kalman Gallery – Brighton, England. 2017/2018
Young Selector for 'Empire through the Lens: pictures from the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection'
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol, England. 2017/2018
LagosPhoto Festival 2017 'Regimes of Truth'
African Artists Foundation – Lagos, Nigeria. November - December 2017
Its Nice That Magazine ‘Introducing The Graduates’
London, England. July 2017
Two Eyes Serve A Movement USW Documentary Photography Graduates
Seen Fifteen Gallery, London, England. June 2017
exhibitions
They Came From The Water While The World Watched
Brighton Fringe Festival, Brigton, England. May - June 2025
Grounding, Stories of Migration – FOTODOK x BredaPhoto, Journeys Edition.
Breda Photo Festival. Breda, The Netherlands. September - November 2024
Our Cultural Connection to Water
Royal Maritime Museum Greenwich, London, England. March 2023 - February 2024
Bodies in (e)motion - From Where I Stand, Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie
Kunstverein Ludwigshafen and other locations, Germany. March - May 2022
CROYANCES, faire et defaire l'invisible
Cultural Institue of Islam – Paris, France. March 2020 - January 2021
Photo Vogue, BASE
Milan, Italy. November 2018
Hiareth. An MA Documentary photography group show.
Truman Brewery – London, England. October 2018
FOUNDATION. An exhibition celebrating the best photographic talent nurtured in the South West
Poly, Falmouth, England. April 28th-2nd May 2018
Duesseldorf Photo Weekend 2018 'Neighbourhood'
Dusseldorf, Germany. 16th -18th February 2018
Cream 17: A Showcase of Graduate Photography Talent
Crane Kalman Gallery – Brighton, England. 2017/2018
Young Selector for 'Empire through the Lens: pictures from the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection'
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol, England. 2017/2018
LagosPhoto Festival 2017 'Regimes of Truth'
African Artists Foundation – Lagos, Nigeria. November - December 2017
Its Nice That Magazine ‘Introducing The Graduates’
London, England. July 2017
Two Eyes Serve A Movement USW Documentary Photography Graduates
Seen Fifteen Gallery, London, England. June 2017
artist talks
Artist talk - Breda Photo: Migration stories in pictures
Nieuwe Veste, Breda, Netherlands 2024
RTM Talk – Reclaiming Narratives, International Film Festival
Rotterdam, Netherlands. 2024
FOTODOK Conference – (IN)VISIBILITIES, Gender and photography in The Netherlands
The Netherlands. 2022
Artist talk – Bodies in (e)motion, From Where I Stand, Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie
Kunstverein Ludwigshafen, Germany. 2022
Guest Lecture – St Joost School of Art and Design
Breda, The Netherlands. 2021
Artist talk – BOP Bristol, Royal Photographic Society & Martin Parr Foundation
Bristol, England. 2021
More Than a Number – Symposium, Turning Point: Diffusion 2021 Ffotogallery
Cardiff, Wales. 2021
Lunchtime lecture – The Royal Academy of Art in The Hauge, KABK
The Hague, Netherlands. 2021
Panel discussion – The Age of The Female Gaze, Belfast Photo Festival
Belfast, Ireland. 2021
Guest Lecture – London College Of Communication
London, England. 2020
Guest Lecture – Willem de Kooning Academie
Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 2020
In conversations with the British Journal of Photography and 1854 Media
Online. 2020
Miniclick Photography talks – The Royal Photographic Society
Bristol, England. 2020
Miniclick Photography talks @ Marwoods
Brighton England. 2020
Guest Lecture – Erasmus Exchange: Migration and Citizenship
London, England. 2020
Women in Focus: Documentary and Citizenship – National Museum of Wales and The European Centre for Documentary Research
Cardiff, Wales. 2019
artist talks
Artist talk - Breda Photo: Migration stories in pictures
Nieuwe Veste, Breda, Netherlands 2024
RTM Talk – Reclaiming Narratives, International Film Festival
Rotterdam, Netherlands. 2024
FOTODOK Conference – (IN)VISIBILITIES, Gender and photography in The Netherlands
The Netherlands. 2022
Artist talk – Bodies in (e)motion, From Where I Stand, Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie
Kunstverein Ludwigshafen, Germany. 2022
Guest Lecture – St Joost School of Art and Design
Breda, The Netherlands. 2021
Artist talk – BOP Bristol, Royal Photographic Society & Martin Parr Foundation
Bristol, England. 2021
More Than a Number – Symposium, Turning Point: Diffusion 2021 Ffotogallery
Cardiff, Wales. 2021
Lunchtime lecture – The Royal Academy of Art in The Hauge, KABK
The Hague, Netherlands. 2021
Panel discussion – The Age of The Female Gaze, Belfast Photo Festival
Belfast, Ireland. 2021
Guest Lecture – London College Of Communication
London, England. 2020
Guest Lecture – Willem de Kooning Academie
Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 2020
In conversations with the British Journal of Photography and 1854 Media
Online. 2020
Miniclick Photography talks – The Royal Photographic Society
Bristol, England. 2020
Miniclick Photography talks @ Marwoods
Brighton England. 2020
Guest Lecture – Erasmus Exchange: Migration and Citizenship
London, England. 2020
Women in Focus: Documentary and Citizenship – National Museum of Wales and The European Centre for Documentary Research
Cardiff, Wales. 2019
awards
2024 - Recipient Magnum Foundation PEX Heat Fellowship
2022 – Selected by FOTODOK to join the FUTURERS in Photography platform
2019 – Nominated by Anastasia Taylor-Lind for the 2019 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass
2018 – '31 women to watch out for' - British Journal of Photography
2018 – Shortlisted for the PHMuseum Women's grant
2018 – Royal Photographic Society Graduate Class of 2018
2018 – British Journal of Photography Graduate Class of 2018
2018 – YCN (You Can Now) annual magazine - 20 Rising Stars in the creative industry
2017 – Selected for Its Nice That Magazine ‘The Graduates’
2017 – Shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society 160 Exhibition
2017 – Shortlisted for Photogrvy Grant
2017 – Prize winner, IAFOR Documentary Photography Award
2017 – Selected by Marie-France Kittler & Salvator Vitale – Source Photographic Review, Graduates
2016 – Recipient of the Reginald Salisbury Fund Travel Award
awards
2024 - Recipient Magnum Foundation PEX Heat Fellowship
2022 – Selected by FOTODOK to join the FUTURERS in Photography platform
2019 – Nominated by Anastasia Taylor-Lind for the 2019 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass
2018 – '31 women to watch out for' - British Journal of Photography
2018 – Shortlisted for the PHMuseum Women's grant
2018 – Royal Photographic Society Graduate Class of 2018
2018 – British Journal of Photography Graduate Class of 2018
2018 – YCN (You Can Now) annual magazine - 20 Rising Stars in the creative industry
2017 – Selected for Its Nice That Magazine ‘The Graduates’
2017 – Shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society 160 Exhibition
2017 – Shortlisted for Photogrvy Grant
2017 – Prize winner, IAFOR Documentary Photography Award
2017 – Selected by Marie-France Kittler & Salvator Vitale – Source Photographic Review, Graduates
2016 – Recipient of the Reginald Salisbury Fund Travel Award