Conversation with Victoria Yeulet, London, 2003

Conducted by Kirsten Dufour and Emma Heddich.

Victoria Yeulet describes her project documenting a female band’s tour. She is interested in examining the unique perspectives women bring to music: “They really seem to function as a group; when they're making music, they truly listen to each other.” Through photography and film, she creates intimate “portraits” of especially women, as a form of storytelling and connection.

Since her teenage years, Yeulet has been passionate about feminism and human rights, driven by a desire to challenge stereotypes, explore identity, and question the “male gaze” in art. She criticizes how society often marginalizes female artists or confines them to specific genres or labels, contrasting this with the less restrictive roles of male artists.

Moreover, Yeulet is dedicated to creating spaces where women can express themselves without limitations: “I'm interested in women-only audiences and spaces, definitely.” She critiques the male-dominated music, media, and art scenes. Through her work, she reimagines “gendered” visuals to highlight the socially constructed boundaries of gender. “Rather than just a reconstruction by putting women in place, I wanted to create a new space for women,” she explains, including the representation of diverse body types to capture the confidence—or lack thereof—that many young women feel under societal pressure.

Yeulet recognizes the challenge of expressing feminist ideas in a society where “feminist” is sometimes misrepresented. “I feel it’s crucial that women carry on the conversation, because so many issues are still relevant.” Influenced by her mother’s skewed view shaped by media, Yeulet tries to make feminism accessible through her artwork.

A central concern in Yeulet’s work is the daily experience of being a woman in public spaces. She discusses the limitations imposed by microaggressions, such as street harassment, which can undermine the empowerment she seeks through her work. This struggle reflects broader gendered spatial politics, where women frequently have to yield space to men—an issue she sees as indicative of deeper societal imbalances. Yeulet expresses frustration with mainstream constraints, believing that intimate art settings allow for more genuine experiences, free from commodification. She recalls, “Organizing something on a smaller scale like Ladyfest, where it was very grassroots, allowed us to avoid compromise—but scaling that becomes challenging.”