Fiona Clark

Fiona Mary Clark (born 1954) is a New Zealand social documentary photographer, one of the first photographers to document New Zealand's LGBT scene.

Early life and education Fiona Clark was born in Inglewood in 1954 and attended Inglewood High School, which she noted to have not felt that she fit in, from an early age. Clark also said that her time at Inglewood High School taught her about survival as a young woman, citing the violence and the two murders that occurred there.

Clark's family were farmers, but she has said they were not "typical farmers". Her brothers were arrested for protesting against the Vietnam War and encouraged her and her siblings to attend university. She notes having a fascination with New Zealand woman Amy Bock, after her Grandfather shared her story.

At the age of 16, Clark moved to Auckland to attend the Elam School of Fine Arts. She was initially enrolled in performing arts, but moved into the photography department in her third year in 1974.

Career

Queer culture Clark's work is predominantly social documentary photography, and she was one of the first photographers to cover New Zealand's LGBTQ+ scene. She was notable in documenting parts of the queer community in the 1970s and 1980s, on Auckland's Karangahape Road. This included photographing drag culture and queer nightlife in clubs such as the KG Club, Mojo's and Las Vegas. Clark also documented the emerging punk subculture in New Zealand.

In 2021 a documentary about Clark was made by Lula Cucchiara about Clark's work. 2002, Go Girl, Govett-Brewster Gallery 2009, Amy Bock, South Otago Museum, Otago 2016, Niccole Duval, Michael Lett 2016, For Fantastic Carmen, Artspace NZ, Auckland 2016, For Pink Pussycat Club, Artspace NZ, Auckland 2016–7, All Lines Converge, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery (with L. Budd, and et al.) 2017, Te iwi o te wahi kore, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt

Films Fiona Clark: Unafraid (2021) – documentary, directed by Lula Cucchiara