The camera as a “revolutionary tool”: Joan. E. Biren on unifying lesbians in their struggle for freedom
In 1971, JEB began photographing lesbians, building a crucial body of work that now stands at 64,400 images. Here, Gem Fletcher chats to her about the transformative nature of her work, her life-long commitment to social justice and the community her practice built.
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When I joined my call with Joan E. Biren (known as JEB) about the reissue of her landmark book
Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians, I had no idea what was in store. The 20-minute standard press chat ran well over an hour as she took me on a journey through the highs and lows of a life fiercely dedicated to art and activism. There were laughs (JEB has extraordinary sharp wit) and there were tears (hers and mine) as we exchanged our own experiences as queer women in different decades. I knew five minutes in this would be a conversation I would never forget.