The Lipstick Effect: A femme lensed exhibition at the Sydney Opera House, presented by Agender

As the official exhibition of the Sydney Opera House’s All About Women Festival 2025, The Lipstick Effect — curated by gender equality initiative Agender — will explore resilience, diversity and the creative power of women through the lens of leading Australian female photographers.

Transforming the Opera House’s Western Broadwalk into an open-air gallery from 1 – 9 March 2025, The Lipstick Effect brings together powerful visual storytelling and the thought-provoking perspectives of past All About Women speakers. The exhibition celebrates International Women’s Day 2025 through the creation of an immersive space for dialogue, reflection, and activism.

Buying small indulgences – like lipstick – during times of economic hardship is so common that the phenomenon has been nicknamed ‘the lipstick effect’. The Lipstick Effect exhibition reframes this notion as a symbol of ingenuity, resilience and the complexity of women’s experiences.

The Lipstick Effect pairs works by 18 acclaimed Australian female photographers with ideas from past and present All About Women speakers — celebrated writers, thinkers, and social commentators who have shaped global conversations on pressing issues in the community. The result is a dynamic dialogue between art and discourse, challenging perspectives on gender, identity, and social justice.

Featuring fine art, fashion, advertising, documentary and portrait photography, the exhibition showcases the diverse and evolving female gaze.

All About Women is the Sydney Opera House’s centrepiece talks festival about gender, justice, and equality. Enormously successful and celebrated, it has filled Opera House stages with buzzy, inspiring, and agenda-setting conversations every March since 2013. The Lipstick Effect continues this legacy, translating these conversations into visual narratives that resonate beyond the spoken word.

“Positioned within the intellectual and creative space of All About Women, the curatorial angle critically examines and redefines traditional perspectives on women and their roles,” says Agender co-founder Cybele Malinowski. “Displayed publicly on the Sydney Opera House Broadwalk, we invite and challenge viewers to find new meanings in the artworks, through juxtaposition with powerful words and other striking images. Historically, we’re at a crossroads regarding equality. History teaches us freedom isn’t guaranteed; equality demands vigilance. From reproductive rights to diversity programs, we face unprecedented challenges. We must actively, passionately fight for it — for everyone. Art is our weapon; through art and media, we confront, reflect, and inspire.”

“Only 15% of ads are shot by women, and just 33% of gallery acquisitions are by female artists,” says Agender co-founder Angela Liang. “Agender exists to hold up a mirror to art and advertising — because these industries shape how we see the world. We hold space for both celebration and activism under the umbrella of one simple idea: Representation matters.”

Agender’s dynamic lens spans established art photographers through to Gen Z voices, exploring diverse perspectives across art, fashion, advertising, photojournalism and portraiture to reflect the diverse experience of women in Australia.

Participating artists include Dr Judith Nangala Crispin, Lisa Sorgini, Michele Aboud, Petrina Hicks, Tamara Dean and Ying Ang whose works have graced galleries such as the National Library of Australia, The National Portrait Gallery, The NPG (London), The National Gallery of Victoria, The National Gallery of Australia and The V&A Museum London.

“Photography has the power to take viewers far beyond where they expect to go,” says curator Liz Ham. “Each image in The Lipstick Effect is shaped by the femme lens — revealing resilience, strength, and perspectives that challenge conventional narratives. “While curating the artworks for this show, we asked ourselves a simple question: Could a man have photographed this? If the answer was yes, it was out of the show. If the answer was a resounding no, it made our shortlist.”

On artist Anna Pogossova’s work, Liz Ham says: “Acetoin is a truly intriguing piece that speaks so poetically about the full measure of the woman’s experience. We were observing various themes during the curatorial process; the body, domesticity, women’s work, escapism and also laughter. Anna’s image of a bust beautifully carved from butter and placed in this banal fridge setting seems to touch on all of these, and importantly also suggests the stifling of creativity that many women experience once subsumed by the load of motherhood and caregiving.”

Event Details

●      Dates: 1 – 9 March 2025
●      Location: Western Broadwalk, Sydney Opera House
●      Admission: Free

As part of the All About Women festival, with a dynamic program of talks and events.

For more information please visit: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/all-about-women

Artists in order: Anna Pogossova, Tajette O’Halloran, Tanja Bruckner, Tamara Dean, Petrina Hicks, Dr Judith Nangala Crispin, Lisa Sorgini, Jo Duck