Clara Watt

She/Her

Clara Watt (b. 1995) is a Senegalese-Canadian photographer based in France, whose work is infused with themes of identity, culture and social justice, using portraiture to explore stories of racial, gender and women's empowerment. Through both analogue and digital photography, she strives to bridge the gap between fine art, social documentary, and advocacy, creating visual narratives to illustrate the multifaceted human experience. Clara's work is primarily motivated by the intimate relationships fostered with her subjects, often overlapping photo and text to ensure her subjects’ voice and agency over their stories remains present. Striving to work with available natural light and enjoying medium format film photography, Clara finds vulnerability and intimacy through this slower, more intentional process.

Clara is a proud member of Black Women Photographers and Diversify Photo.

Awards

2023 | Felix Schoeller Award, Finalist

2022 | OD Photo Prize, Shortlisted

2022 | Black Women Photographers x Nikon Grant, Recipient

2021 | 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, Runner Up

Exhibitions

2023 | Photo Saint Germain x Pride Photo, Paris

2023 | Felix Schoeller Award, Germany

2023 | Pride Photo Award, Netherlands

2022 | OD Photo Prize, London

2022 | Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography, Barcelona

2022 | ShutterHub Yearbook, Online

Workshops

2023 | NOOR & Chocolonely Foundation - Advanced Visual Storytelling Workshop, Côte d’Ivoire

Selected Publications & Clients