Artist presentation

Lisa

Lisa Jayne Cramer (b. 1964) is an Australian photographer. Her work, often cryptic yet rich in intention, creates a dense atmosphere of complex emotions in telling her story in the truest, most beautiful way. This story is a symphony, a requiem for the soul, expressing metaphors for longing and expectation, hope and desire, grief and questioning, reflection, surrender and grace.

A self-taught artist with an interest in self-portraiture, Lisa completed a Creative Photography Course at Photography Studies College (Melbourne) in 2016, a Seeing Through Photographs online Certificate Course at MoMA, NYC in 2020, a Silver Gelatin Darkroom Printing Course with renowned Australian photographer Ellie Young at Gold Street Studios in 2021, a Large Format Camera workshop in 2023 and a Pinhole Camera workshop in 2024, as part of PHOTOREAL: Uncomfortable truths 2024, MAPh with Shea Kirk (winner of the Australian National Photographic Prize 2023).

Her work has been recognised by important organisations and awards, including receiving Second Prize in the 2024 Canberra Contemporary Photographic Prize, work exhibited at the Photo Access Gallery Canberra, finalist Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) LOOK! Prize 2023 & in 2024 receiving ‘Staff Favourite Award’, she was a finalist in the Perth Centre for Photography ‘COLLECTIVE 2024’, and received an Honourable Mention for her project ‘YOUR child, MY child, EVERYONE’s child’ in the Self-Portrait Series category of 22nd Julia Margaret Cameron Award (2024) Spain, exhibited at FotoNostrum Gallery Barcelona, December 2024 and to be exhibited there in April 2025. Lisa has exhibited at CCP Melbourne, Summer Salon 2023, the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) LOOK! exhibitions in Melbourne in 2023 and 2024, and recently at Cluster London Photography Fair in April 2025. She received an Honourable Mention for the FotoNostrum Mediterranean House of Photography, 1st Choice Awards in Barcelona, to be published in FotoNostrum Magazine, November 2025.

Lisa is a Scholarship recipient for the 2025 Long Term Program: The Photobook, Penumbra Foundation, NYC.

Artist statement

My current project is a deeply personal exploration of grief and loss surrounding a child that never came to be. It examines how grief imposes its demands and reimagines family structures. The narrative is intentionally cryptic yet rich, aiming to evoke complex emotions and challenge viewers to confront the latent losses and desires in their lives.

Through this work, I highlight the profound longing and yearning to become parents— experiences often overlooked in a society focused on traditional family units. Celebrations like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day take on a different meaning for us, filled with unique emotions that prompt reflection.

By sharing our story, I seek psychological relief and collective strength, addressing the question, “If not a mother or a father, then who are we?” Ultimately, the project aims to create an atmosphere that encourages viewers to engage with their own experiences of loss and desire, fostering a deeper understanding of what it means to navigate life as an outlier in a family-centric world.