Fenna Jensma

Born from a background where dialogue on equality, journalism and democracy was woven into our daily dinner-table conversations, my artistic practice is rooted in the belief that storytelling is a fundamental pillar of a healthy society. Storytelling that enables the art of imagination, that allows audiences to understand diverse perspectives, that trigger empathy. Growing up in an era where core principles such as truth, equality and democratic dialogue are increasingly under pressure, I feel an urgent responsibility to create work that reinforces them as our necessary default. Navigating the intersection of photojournalism and editorial practice, I treat “accurate” representation not as a pursuit of neutrality, but as a deliberate ethical and political stance. I am deeply conscious of the power inherent in the camera and the distribution of images: for me, creative agency is inseparable from my social responsibility. My work explores how images do not merely reflect our world but actively shape our social reality. By combining photography, sound, and text, I deconstruct and reclaim the image. In practice, I collect and analyse visuals, strip them of their original framework, and place them into new, critical contexts. Text and photography allow me to dissect these structures, video allows a more visceral, poetic layer. Together these elements form multi-layered installations that interrogate the visual systems deployed to undermine democratic values, challenging how they manipulate our perception. This manipulation is particularly evident in how bodies and representation are used as tools to serve political agendas. A central focus is therefore the reclamation of agency within women’s rights, a domain frequently targeted by mechanisms of control. By questioning the roles imposed on bodies, such as the visual weaponization of women within extremist narratives, I invite viewers to look closer at the frameworks that define us, triggering the critical, nuanced conversations I grew up with at the dinner table, those that seek common ground amidst a sea of diverging perspectives.