The Doyennes
A respected or
prominent woman
in a particular field
NOUN: DOYENNE; PLURAL NOUN: DOYENNES.
Beata Szczecinska is a visual artist who expands her field of activity to illustration, design and mural. In her creative work, she touches upon topics related to contemporary civilization, transforming them into the language of forms.
The Norwegian London based photographer Thea Løvstad, tells The Doyennes about her choice to only work with sustainable brands, the pay gap between women and men in the industry and feminism.
It's Black Friday, one of the peak consumption days of the year, what better time to put things into perspective? Environmentalist Holly Rose does that for us, in her piece about why the founder of Amazon ironically enough is the only person on the planet rich enough to save (you guessed it) the Amazon.
Amanda Lago’s newest video explores the struggle we face to accept ourselves - by portraying and engaging with the most extreme aspects of our personality. Check it out here.
Photographer Karla Guerrero tried to find her own identity through her grandfather's past. Check out the series Jorge here.
In Michaela Vrbková’s work, the environment she sets her pieces in and the architecture itself is emphasized to a great extent. Check out her newest work, Infraordinary, here.
Attor is the creative culmination of Maren Garberg Bredesen's one and a half year stay in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and a tribute to the impressive cultural heritage of Tajikistan and its neighbouring countries.
How to Suppress Women's Writing by Joanna Russ is a modern classic in feminist literary theory, and with this text in mind, writer Ingvill Kjærstein explores the challenges we still face when it comes to inequality in the literary world, and the importance of representation.
We had a chat with your fave new indie band FLTY BRGR GRL about unrequited love, greasy burger muses and being woc in a very white, male genre. Exclusive preview of their new music video, you said? We got that too.
Artist Ewa Doroszenko is interested in the phenomenon of landscape documentation and its representation regarding how its position has changed when most of the places are perceived online. The project is a subjective study of how culture changes our longing for an idyllic natural landscape.
Nicole Rafiki is a visual artist, writer & editor based in Oslo, Norway. Her beautiful photo series Descendants celebrates the diversity of people of African descent all over the world.
Fall is here, and it's time to update your playlists with some new, fresh artists to keep you company through rainy days and dark evenings! Here are three faves - all working in different genres - we recommend that you check out!
The Doyennes went to Copenhagen Fashion Week to check out the Spring/Summer 2020 collections. Here's our report from the Hofmann Copenhagen show.
Ni En More is a clothing brand that with its original designs has reached the pages of Vogue. We talked to one of its founders, Lise Linnert, about the brand's deeper mission: to create community and economic empowerment as a measure against the femicide taking place in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
Christiane Spangsberg has within a few years created a distinctive body of abstract paintings and one-line drawings exhibited in sold out solo shows in Paris, Sydney, London and New York. She is currently working on her newest exhibition Garden of Eden opening in Copenhagen 25th of August.
In countries all over the world we see that legislators fail to protect women’s right to bodily autonomy by limiting their access to abortion. We had a chat with Helmi Henkin, an activist working for reproductive justice in Alabama, about what’s going on and how we can engage - no matter where we are!
Cristina Coral loves to explore the complex relationship between subject and environment. Her absurd pastel universes are both intriguing and beautiful and makes you wonder about the origin of the images.
Mikaela Bruhn Aschim is one of Norway's youngest gallery leaders. At the age of 25, she was assigned the task of managing QB gallery in downtown Oslo, a daughter company of the esteemed auction house Blomqvist. QB was established four years ago, with the goal of being a high-quality graphic edition gallery. Today, it is so much more.
FLOWER BOY is a playful collaboration between photographer Johanne Log, model Philip and designer Madelen Isa, showcasing ISA Collection jewellery. The idea behind the shoot was to create a colourful narrative driven by spontaneity and curiosity — inspired by the Garden of Eden, but shot in Oslo on the verge of summer.
Too Many Man is the title of photographer Ellie Ramsden’s new book about women on the UK grime scene. Along with honest pictures of MCs, DJs, radio presenters and more in their own neighbourhoods, the book gives us a glimpse into the history of grime as a genre and an updated view of women’s place on the scene.
Kokosmos is a purely visual, experimental piece inspired by space and our fascination with the unknown, made by award winning Russian director Anna Radchenko. It is a surreal fantasy, aimed to extend our perception of reality by letting us wonder over the existence of a higher being and our connection with her.
Staging, performing and photographing each scene, Norwegian artist Anja Niemi develops complex, nuanced narratives through evocative costume and elaborate styling. She works alone and always in character. The way Niemi works with storytelling through photography is truly mesmerizing and we are excited to show a selection from her projects.
It’s not only on the club scene Adiele Helen Krüger Arukwe really shines, she’s also a familiar face in he corridors of the UN’s headquarters in Manhattan. A good mix of journalistic and political interest, combined with musical flair, gave her the rare honour of being mentioned by the Foreign Minister to the press and becoming one of her favourite DJs!
Natasha Wilsons series Rise is a beautiful critique of a not-so-beautiful media industry. Whitewashing is a casting practice in the film industry in which white actors are cast in historically non-white character roles or in roles which are scripted for non-white characters.
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We are mesmerized by Natasha Wilson’s beautiful photography – have a look at her gorgeous new photo series, set on the island of Kauai and published for the first time here at The Doyennes!
Little Black Book: A Toolkit For Working Women is already a bestseller, and it’s not hard to see why. This is a useful and compact guide for anyone looking to structure their workday better or get a project off the ground – especially if you’re working in the creative industries.
A part of her coolness is definitely her voice, the voice that draws you in and keeps you there, the voice that’s won her two Norwegian Grammys (Spellemanns-priser) and received praise in most of the country’s biggest newspapers. Read about our brief encounter with artist Emilie Nicolas.
Evelyn Bencicova plays with the viewer’s perception to entice them into the secret labyrinth of her imagination. Her beautiful visual language set within a curiously symbolic environment allow for a deep exploration of the themes that take her images far beyond what they reveal at first glance.
Sali Mullers conceptual art investigates the role of the individual in relation to the self and the environment and addresses issues of how people have alienated themselves from nature and their own self-image. In this Visual, we present two of her projects.
Silvia Conde's work draws you in, as she creates a calm atmosphere even when her motives are dynamic and colorful. Her images of landscapes are mesmerizing and otherworldly, and she captures moments that makes you curious about their origin.
Why Women Will Save the Planet consists of interviews with and texts by several prominent women in politics and international organizations from all around the world – a must-read for anyone interested in creating a sustainable and gender equal future!
Grime has a bigger audience than ever, and the music genre now has an influence that reaches far beyond its East London home. More and more women are also claiming their place on a previously very male dominated scene, so we had a chat with the founder of Girls of Grime a platform aiming to promote and support the music and the women who love it!
Need something to read in the summer heat? Cordelia Fine’s book Testosterone Rex will keep your mind and your arguments sharp through lazy holiday afternoons.
In May 2011, Nana Afua Antwi became an ambassador for Save the Children International, and in June 2012, she launched her own non-profit organisation, the Akosua Odei Foundation (AOF), named after her late mother. She is currently working with increasing endometriosis awareness, a hidden disease that only affects women.
Women in Iran are protesting the theocratic regime's law that forces them to wear hijabs in public at all times. With peaceful protests and social media as their weapons of choice, their message is spreading faster than ever. Read on for a short analysis and interview!
Anja Charbonneau, former creative director at Kinfolk, is the founder and creative director of Broccoli, a magazine created by and for women who love cannabis. Offered free of charge, Broccoli explores and shapes modern weed culture by looking at cannabis through an art, culture and fashion lens.
The Doyennes recommend: not shutting up! Read Rebecca Solnit’s book «Men Explain Things to Me» and laugh and cry over the silliness of patriarchy and it’s silencing of women.
Ever since photographer Solange Adum was a little girl she has been fascinated by the flat, infinite, low contrast, pastel land on Panamericana Sur; the main road everyone takes from Lima to go to the beaches near the city.
It's the last day of Fashion Revolution week today, and we're celebrating it by featuring one of the many women-owned fashion brands out there who are part of changing the fashion industry as we know it. Say hi to Jean Franklin, an LA-based, sustainable clothing brand.
We love a good book, and especially when it comes with the mix of enchanting fiction and hard facts! Maja Lunde provides both – check out her newest novel, Blue.
Sometimes you meet women who are a true force to be reckoned with: Gloria Allred is definitely such a woman. With a resume that includes the cases against O.J. Simpson, Bill Cosby, Roy Moore and Donald Trump, she has fought for justice in cases of violence against women for decades. The Doyennes had a chat with the L.A.-based lawyer on her current cases and the way forward in the fight for gender equality in America.
Marthe Elise Stramrud works across multiple artistic disciplines due to her background from architecture, art and photography. Her presentation of everyday objects in different context, form and space are both intriguing and mesmerizing and her work with sculptures initiates the conversation of what art is.
There's nothing we love more than people who put their skills and talents to work to help their community! Sexy Beast for Planned Parenthood LA is and does exactly that: read on for how the group's three directors with a background in the creative industries are raising funds for the USA's most important reproductive health care institution.
The series “Beauty Warriors” is a collection of photographs featuring strange and unusual-looking beauty products bought on Ebay. Through a traditional portrait style, Evija Laivina raises important questions about the way we look at physical beauty.
Marine biologist Pia Ve Dahlens dedication and drive is nothing less than beautiful. The girl from Sarpsborg, Norway, spends most of her time teaching about the ocean and how we can take care of it, something that’s more important now than ever. Read on, and get star (fish) struck by her thoughts and work.
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats of today: if we don't do anything soon, there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. But there's still hope - we can cut down on plastics right away! Check out how the girls behind Radical Broccoli went plastic free for a month.
Heather Rasmussens combination of materials and art forms creates unique and absurd universes. Check out some of her work and thoughts here.
Madeleine Schultz is a journalist and author. Here at The Doyennes, we’re big fans of her writing – read on for her thoughts on the #metoo winter, the way forward when it comes to gender equality, and why it’s so important for women to have each others’ backs.
Adela Andea uses light and space to explore the line between reality and the virtual world, by creating uniquely illuminated and kinetic sculptures.
The photographs from Sara Angelica Spilling´s series «móðir jörð» are both otherworldly and intimate, and lucky for us in the Oslo area, on exhibit this month.
Nosizwe Lise Baqwa has impressed us with her soulful music, her work in the Nobel Peace Prize winning organization ICAN, and her performance in I Am Nina at the Nordic Black Theatre, where she portrayed the legendary Nina Simone. A doyenne in more than one field, we asked her about her career dos and don'ts.
Making it in the fashion industry takes lots of hard work and a strong belief in your own taste, as competition is fierce and trends change constantly. We had a chat with stylist Alizé Demange about the glamorous and the not-so-glamorous parts of her job.
There are lots of exciting, female writers these days, and we love discovering a strong voice. Roskva Koritzinsky is one of them, click away for an insight into a brilliant author's mind, and some book- and film recommendations for the holidays while we're at it!
Mari Tveita Stagrim is a young, Norwegian author whose books have been well received by reviewers and regular readers alike. We read her latest book, and it definitely lived up to our expectations!
What´s the unlikely connection between environmentalism, feminism and fashion? Our contributing editor Maggie Alva discusses the question in this article. Editorial by photographer Linnea Syversen.
Having a passion for something can often lead you to the right career. We spoke to food enthusiast, entrepreneur and author Julie Ilona Balas on how she became one of Norway’s top food bloggers!
Chris Kraus’ book I Love Dick has finally been aknowledged as the brilliant work it is, after 20 years in obscurity. Read on for our take on this modern, feminist classic.
About Us
The Doyennes is a website showcasing awesome women doing awesome things!
Founded by political scientist Maggie Alva and Art director Anna Vaagland, with the simple goal of increasing proper female representation in the media.
Know a woman we should feature or have an article/visual
you want to publish? Give us a shout: