Jo Ractliffe

Jo Ractliffe is a South African photographer whose work investigates the intersections of landscape, memory, and social history. Based in Cape Town, her practice explores how conflict, displacement, and human intervention leave traces on both natural and built environments. Her images often blur temporal and spatial boundaries, emphasizing atmosphere, movement, and the ephemeral to create contemplative spaces where viewers engage with the lingering effects of political and social upheaval.

Ractliffe frequently works in post-conflict and transitional spaces across southern Africa, including Angola and South Africa, documenting both visible and hidden markers of historical events. Through her lens, landscapes become carriers of collective memory, while ordinary gestures and traces of life acquire profound significance. Her work has been celebrated internationally for its sensitive engagement with history and its capacity to evoke reflection on absence, loss, and resilience.

Key recognitions include being shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize (2022) and nominated for the Discovery Prize at the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival (2011). Her publications, including Being There (2022), Photographs: 1980s–Now (2020), and Signs of Life (2019), further underscore her sustained contribution to contemporary photography.

References

Aware. 2025. Jo Ractliffe. [online] Available at: https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/jo-ractliffe/ [Accessed 10 November 2025].

SA History. 2025. Jo Ractliffe. [online] Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/people/jo-ractliffe [Accessed 10 November 2025].

Stevenson. 2025. Jo Ractliffe Biography. [online] Available at: https://www.stevenson.info/artist/jo-ractliffe/biography [Accessed 10 November 2025].

Wikipedia. 2025. Jo Ractliffe. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Ractliffe#:~:text=Jo%20Ractliffe%20(born%209%20March,%2C%20and%20Johannesburg%2C%20South%20Africa [Accessed 10 November 2025].