Kirsty Mackay
14 April 2015

Bristol, England

Originally from Glasgow, I studied photography before leaving for New York and London to work as a photographer’s assistant. I have assisted and learned from many outstanding photographers including Herb Ritts, Nick Knight and Anton Corbijn. I have an MA in Documentary Photography from the University of Wales. In 2003 I partnered with Vodafone, to create an exhibition using the first camera-phone available in the UK. Taking a picture a day for one year, iCapture was shown at the Deluxe Gallery, London.

My Favourite Colour Was Yellow

I am showing work from My Favourite Colour Was Yellow, a documentary photo book on the dominance of the colour pink in young girls lives. Pink has become synonymous with femininity to the extent that it is easy to take it for granted, but it hasn’t always been this way. In the nineteenth century boys were traditionally dressed in pink. This latest phenomenon has evolved in line with consumerism since the 1980s. I set out to photograph girls with their pink possessions as a way to understand how this one colour has become dominant. Working over a five year period, making portraits of the girls in their bedrooms and on the street I have created a document of this time for girls growing up in Britain.

The title reflects the theme at the heart of the work – a lack of choice.

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