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: Archival print on Ilford Pearl paper, 320gsm
Dimensions: 854mm x 560mm (framed with foam core backing and non-reflective UV glass)

Description 

Rinse was one of the first photographs I captured for Venus 8—a long-form, intimate documentary series exploring the lives of strippers, sex workers, and erotic artists in Western Australia.

Taken in the quiet of a strip club locker room, this moment shows Fei rinsing her mouth before a shift. It’s the kind of detail that is easily overlooked, and yet deeply human. My favourite part of this image - is the stream of water coming from Fei’s mouth. A subtle act of preparation, ritual, and resilience. To witness this was to be invited into a world often guarded from view.

What surprised me most was the sense of my own belonging among my subjects. From the moment I arrived in these spaces, I was welcomed, not just by the performers, but by the entire club community - managers, floor staff, house mothers. Their trust was instant and unconditional. I was told how rare it is to be given access to these spaces, yet I felt like I had returned to a familiar forgotten family. It was more than documentary photography, for me, it was a homecoming. And incredibly affirming as an artist. 

This image represents not only the beginning of Venus 8 but also a shift in my artistic practice. It affirmed my need for work that is rooted in societal narrative shifts, trust, and truth-telling. The project is deeply personal to me and continues to shape me as an artist. 

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