Hilda is a professional photographer whose work explores identity, migration, belonging, and cultural connection. Originally from South Africa, she migrated to Australia in 2003 — an experience that profoundly shapes her visual language and thematic focus. Her work often examines the layered nature of identity across cultures, histories, and environments.

Hilda leads community-based photography initiatives throughout New South Wales, creating collaborative platforms for young people and partnering with First Nations artists and local communities. Her programs centre on portraiture as a means of agency and visibility, culminating in public exhibitions and site-specific installations that amplify lived experience, foster intergenerational dialogue, and strengthen cultural connection.

More recently, Hilda’s creative practice has expanded to explore the relationship between humans — particularly women — and the ocean. Inspired by discovering surfing later in life, her current body of work investigates embodiment, strength, vulnerability, and the ocean as a space of healing and transformation.

Before becoming a full-time photographer, Hilda worked in community and social welfare. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from South Africa and a Diploma in Photo-imaging. Her sociological background continues to inform her sensitive approach to portraiture and storytelling, grounding her practice in social awareness and human connection.

Professional Affiliations:

Australian Women in Photography (AUSWIP)

Women of the Hunter in Photography Collective (WH!P)

Solo Exhibitions:

2026 — The Meeting Place, The Art House

2023 — Sea of Faces, Public Art Installation, The Entrance, NSW

2021 — Home, The Container Gallery, The Entrance, NSW

2021 — Yaama Nguru, Participatory Art Installation, The Entrance, NSW

2017 — Skin, Head On Photo Festival, Sydney

Group Exhibitions:

2024 — Stories of Light, WH!P (Women of the Hunter in Photography)

Watt Space Gallery, Newcastle

2023 — We Are, WH!P Multi-site Portrait Project, Newcastle

2021 — Flow, WH!P, Nobbys-Whibayganba

2021 — Exposure 2021, Joint Exhibition with HeadON Foundation, Gosford

2021 — Home, WH!P, Newcastle Art Gallery

2021 — Arrival, WH!P, Newcastle Art Space

2021 — Finalist, Gosford Art Prize, Gosford Regional Art Gallery

2020 — Reconnected: A Recovery Story, Lake Macquarie Museum of Art and Culture

2017 — Finalist, Fremantle International Portrait Prize (FIPP)

2014 — Revealing Identity, The Rocks, Sydney

2013 — Interlude, The Rocks, Sydney

2012 — Mental Health Art Works, Gosford Regional Art Gallery