Sandra Zegarra Patow
@sandrazegarrapatowI am Sandra Zegarra Patow, a Peruvian artist with a degree in Interactive Media Design from the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague. Deeply connected to my Peruvian roots, my work exists at the intersection of harmony and oddness.
Through distorted forms, dreamy patterns, and nature's color palette, l invite viewers to step into a world that reflects my inner landscape.
My creative practice is intuitive, shaped by my beliefs and the relationships I build with my subjects. It mirrors not only how I approach art but how I navigate life. Culture, traditions, and history influence my work, with nostalgia acting as a thread between my past and present. By embracing these roots, I contribute to the dialogue of identity, both personal and collective.
The women who surround me - strong, resilient, and inspiring - fuel my creativity.
They remind me of our shared strength, and through my work, I aim to pass that energy on. Humor, femininity, sexuality, and a touch of sarcasm are all elements I weave into my art, creating a space where the complex and the playful can coexist.
Ultimately, my work is about sparking dialogue and encouraging new ways of seeing the world. I believe that art has the power to shift perspectives, and that's the space where I want my work to live.
Ninny
@ninnyduartelopesOog voor diversiteit, passie voor fotografie
Ik ben Ninny, een gepassioneerde fotograaf met oog voor diversiteit. Voor mij is fotografie meer dan alleen een beeld vastleggen; het is een manier om verhalen te vertellen, emoties te vangen en de schoonheid van mensen in al hun eigenheid te laten zien.
Mijn specialiteit ligt in close-ups en portretten – de kracht van een blik, de diepte van een expressie, de puurheid van een moment. Ik neem de tijd om mensen op hun gemak te stellen en hun authentieke zelf naar voren te brengen. Want echte schoonheid zit in echtheid.
In 2021 werd mijn inzending voor het project Publieke Werken Rotterdam geselecteerd als een van de tien betekenisvolle werken in de stad – een moment van trots en erkenning voor mijn werk. Maar de grootste voldoening haal ik uit de kleine, intieme momenten die ik mag vastleggen: een lach, een blik, een verhaal dat in beeld tot leven komt.
Of het nu gaat om een persoonlijk portret, een bijzondere gelegenheid of een uniek project, ik kijk ernaar uit om waardevolle momenten te vereeuwigen.
Diewke
@diewkevandenheuvelDiewke grew up alongside the serene and inspiring banks of the River Rijn, a setting that nurtured a deep connection to the natural world and its ever-changing landscapes. This early fascination with the interplay between humanity and the environment led to a pursuit of Geography inacademia, where Diewke explored the intricacies of place, space, and their cultural implications. Building on this foundation, Diewke graduated in Photography from the HKU (Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht) in 2005, combining analytical insight with a keen artistic vision.
In the last five years, Diewke’s work has garnered significant recognition, earning a prominent presence in exhibitions and collections around the world. A multi-disciplinary photographer, Diewke examines themes of environment, identity, and resilience, often weaving together elements of science, history, and storytelling to create evocative visual narratives. This exploration culminated in the publication of the book Melting Heart, a poignant reflection on climate collapse, which resonated deeply with audiences.
Diewke has also been an integral part of Soils, a collaborative multi-disciplinary project that spans the Van Abbemuseum, TarraWarra Museum of Art, and Struggles for Sovereignty. This ambitious initiative examines the connections between land, sovereignty, and cultural memory, aligning seamlessly with Diewke’s artistic ethos. Through these varied endeavors, Diewke continues to redefine the boundaries of photography, forging connections between art, ecology, and social commentary.
Beyond the Male Gaze
The V Female Photo Agency is a visual platform working from the female gaze as a critical way of seeing.
We collaborate with photographers, artists, performers, researchers, and cultural organisations to create visual narratives that challenge dominant perspectives and reveal what often remains unseen.
Through photography, artistic research, exhibitions, and public interventions, we explore public space, collective memory, care, urban transformation, and cultural identity. We are interested in the stories, labour, materials, and histories that shape our world but are often overlooked within official/normative narratives.
For us, the female gaze is not simply about who holds the camera. It is a methodology that questions how visibility is constructed, whose perspectives are privileged, and what remains outside the frame.
At the same time, we recognise that every perspective including our own contains blind spots. Rather than replacing one dominant narrative with another, we use the female gaze as an ongoing practice of inquiry, reflection and dialogue.
We continue to champion female photographers and image-makers while creating space for multiple voices, experiences and ways of knowing.
“Our focus is not only who is seen, but how visibility is made.”
Mission & Vision
Mission & Vision
Mission: To elevate the role of female photographers in the professional photography industry by providing them with the tools, opportunities, visibility and support to bring their artistic visions to life.
At the same time, we use photography as a means to explore, question and reframe dominant narratives, creating space for perspectives, stories and experiences that are often overlooked.
At the same time, we use photography as a means to explore, question and reframe dominant narratives, creating space for perspectives, stories and experiences that are often overlooked.
Vision: We envision a photography and cultural landscape in which female photographers have equal opportunities and visibility, and where diverse perspectives actively shape how stories are told, archived and remembered.
By approaching representation as an ongoing practice of inquiry, reflection and dialogue, we contribute to richer and more nuanced understandings of our communities, cultures and shared public spaces.
By approaching representation as an ongoing practice of inquiry, reflection and dialogue, we contribute to richer and more nuanced understandings of our communities, cultures and shared public spaces.
Founders
Nynke Schaaf & Janey Roanna
Founded in the fall of 2024, our photo agency represents a diverse group of leading creatives across various disciplines. From photographers and directors to stylists, hair and makeup artists, creative directors, illustrators, set designers, and even notable estates and foundations such as Goethe-Institute, Brutus and more.
Our mission is twofold: to support the long-term ambitions and day-to-day needs of our artists while contributing to a deeper cultural appreciation of image-making.
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Our mission is twofold: to support the long-term ambitions and day-to-day needs of our artists while contributing to a deeper cultural appreciation of image-making.
Janey Roanna
Janey Roanna is an interdisciplinary Graphic Designer and Photographer whose work focuses on communication & (cultural) Diversity. She's a Caribbean/Dutch woman raised in the suburbs of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Her artistic practice, which spans analog pictures, digital designs, collages, grafitti and more explores the interplay between analog and digital mediums. Drawing inspiration from the African Diaspora & personal experiences, Janey addresses societal issues through a personal lens.
Among her favourite projects are her exhibition “Female Genius” in New York and designing educational booklets for Atria (A knowledge institute for female history), where her passions for emancipation, education, and supporting today's youth converge.
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Nynke Schaaf
@nynke_visch_
Janey Roanna is an interdisciplinary Graphic Designer and Photographer whose work focuses on communication & (cultural) Diversity. She's a Caribbean/Dutch woman raised in the suburbs of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Her artistic practice, which spans analog pictures, digital designs, collages, grafitti and more explores the interplay between analog and digital mediums. Drawing inspiration from the African Diaspora & personal experiences, Janey addresses societal issues through a personal lens.
Among her favourite projects are her exhibition “Female Genius” in New York and designing educational booklets for Atria (A knowledge institute for female history), where her passions for emancipation, education, and supporting today's youth converge.
Her artistic practice, which spans analog pictures, digital designs, collages, grafitti and more explores the interplay between analog and digital mediums. Drawing inspiration from the African Diaspora & personal experiences, Janey addresses societal issues through a personal lens.
Among her favourite projects are her exhibition “Female Genius” in New York and designing educational booklets for Atria (A knowledge institute for female history), where her passions for emancipation, education, and supporting today's youth converge.
Nynke Schaaf
@nynke_visch_
Nynke Schaaf is a Rotterdam-based cultural strategist, curator and artistic researcher working at the intersection of public space, heritage, material culture and storytelling.
Her practice explores the hidden systems, infrastructures and material flows that shape everyday urban life. Through artistic research, exhibitions, public programmes and interdisciplinary collaborations, she investigates how cities remember, transform and discard people, objects, materials and histories.
Current projects focus on urban residue streams, circular material cultures, collective memory and the relationship between archives, public space and contemporary society. As founder of The Roffa Roll and co-founder of The V Female Photo Agency, Schaaf develops projects that connect artistic imagination with social, cultural and ecological questions.
Working from a perspective informed by the female gaze, her practice examines visibility, representation and the stories that remain outside dominant narratives. Through research, storytelling and public engagement, she seeks new ways of understanding what cities hide, preserve and carry forward.
She is also active as a radio maker and DJ within Rotterdam’s independent cultural scene, including Operator Radio and WORM Radio.
Her practice explores the hidden systems, infrastructures and material flows that shape everyday urban life. Through artistic research, exhibitions, public programmes and interdisciplinary collaborations, she investigates how cities remember, transform and discard people, objects, materials and histories.
Current projects focus on urban residue streams, circular material cultures, collective memory and the relationship between archives, public space and contemporary society. As founder of The Roffa Roll and co-founder of The V Female Photo Agency, Schaaf develops projects that connect artistic imagination with social, cultural and ecological questions.
Working from a perspective informed by the female gaze, her practice examines visibility, representation and the stories that remain outside dominant narratives. Through research, storytelling and public engagement, she seeks new ways of understanding what cities hide, preserve and carry forward.
She is also active as a radio maker and DJ within Rotterdam’s independent cultural scene, including Operator Radio and WORM Radio.