Lisa Messiter is a graphic and fabric designer from Sweden who immigrated to Australia twenty five years ago. She comes from a family of artists, architects, and designers, which has taught her to love all aspects of the arts. She graduated from COFA, UNSW with a Bachelor of Design. She has travelled extensively off the beaten path, exploring various countries, cultures, religions and languages, and has documented it all in photographs and stories. Lisa loves surfing and in her spare time, you can usually find her in the ocean.

Hilda Bezuidenhout is a professional photographer with a keen interest in identity and culture. Her experience of having migrated from South Africa to Australia in 2003 has had a big influence on her work. She has recently discovered the joys of surfing and her most recent work explores the connection that humans, and especially women, have with the ocean.

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We Are is a multi-location multimedia photographic experience highlighting creative women of Newcastle, commencing on Wednesday March 8th 2023 (International Women’s Day) and culminating in a celebration event at The Lock-Up on Friday March 24th.

We Are is a portrait project featuring 20 WH!P Collective members turning their lenses towards fellow female and non-binary creatives to highlight the many benefits that a thriving and diverse artistic community bring to our region.

WH!P (Women* of the Hunter !n Photography) was founded in 2020 to embrace and create opportunities for professional photographers from the Hunter region by leveraging the combined skills, experience and credentials of its members. Fostering a culture of support, celebration, exchange, education, advocacy, action, enjoyment, play and growth, it hopes to actively raise the profile of contemporary photographic excellence, education and experimentation in the Hunter Region. WH!P works collaboratively with those both within and beyond the local area who share our belief that the world should be shown through a lens as diverse as the real world.

*all references to women/woman is inclusive of gender diverse people

WH!P’s logos and graphics designed by Laura Kent


Holding my breath for what seems like an eternity. A storm is coming but I can see refractions of gold on the surface I’m weightless and surrender to the incoming tide And finally, finally, I’m coming up for air.


Lisa Messiter