Rinse by Danielle Fitzgerald

Details

Retail price for the framed work is for pick-up from NERAM, Armidale. Shipping Australia-wide can be arranged and will be invoiced separately.

Year: 2022
Medium: Documentary photograph

Description 

Fei, rinsing her mouth in the strip club locker room. Perth, WA 2022.

This is one of my first images I created for my long-form project, Venus 8 – an intimate documentary series that delves into the world of strippers sex workers and erotic artists.

My favourite part is the water coming out Fei's mouth. To be given access to this world, in this way, was so affirming to me as an artist. This was a conversation between us – I was merely a fly on the wall. Documenting her day to day work preparation.

What struck me most in being with this group, is that it felt like a homecoming. There was a closeness between us that I wasn't expecting.

A palpable kindred feeling between us.

I was told it is notoriously hard to gain access to this group. Yet, for me, I was warmly welcomed like an old comrade. It was instant open arms. Not just by the performers, but also by the managers, the floor staff, the house mothers, and the other performers. It felt like I was being invited into a forgotten family.

I never knew how much I needed this as an artist. To have a personal practice that carries such a deep meaning for me – is something I will never forget.

Biography

Danielle Fitzgerald is an Australian-based photographer and social worker originally from the UK. Fitzgerald's work explores themes of identity, resilience, and the intersection of mental health and lived experience. Through a photojournalistic lens, she captures raw, unfiltered narratives that challenge societal perceptions and celebrate human complexity.

Her latest long-form project, Venus 8, explores the often unseen realities of mothering, mental health, and life behind the curtains of strip club locker rooms. Through striking imagery and deep storytelling, the project humanises and elevates the voices of those within this world, offering a nuanced perspective beyond stereotypes.

Alongside her creative work, Fitzgerald is deeply embedded in grassroots community support, working in the nonprofit sector in communications and photography. She uses storytelling to amplify voices, raise awareness, and advocate for mental health and social issues in regional Western Australia, where she lives.

Her work has been recognised and featured in Dazed Magazine UK, and she continues to push boundaries, blending documentary realism with artistic storytelling to shed light on untold narratives.

Home: Margaret River, WA