In celebration of women's day 9 August 2007 Special Collections book of the month:Life and soul portraits of women who move South Africa ©2006/ Karina Turok
This exquisite book presents 75 portraits by award-winning photographer Karina Turok, of inspirational South African women from diverse backgrounds - writers, musicians, artists, actresses, spiritual leaders, activists, journalists, politicians, sportswoman, businesswomen and academics. Accompanying each portrait is a distilled narrative from the personal and revealing conversations Karina Turok had with the women in which they relate their stories, experiences and insight.
Something about the author:
Born 29 October 1963 in Cape Town, Karina Turok calls the production of Life and Soul a career highlight, along with having worked as stills photographer on the 1993 Island Pictures documentary on Nelson Mandela called Son of Africa, Father of a Nation, when she had the privilege of travelling the country photographing the former President. She first studied fine art as a Rotary exchange student at the Newcastle College of Advanced Education in Australia. On completing her Bachelor's Degreein Fine Art at the University of Cape Town's Michaelis School of Fine Art, she received the Michaelis Prize. She later obtained a Master's Degree from Michaelis. She has also studied and worked at the International Centre of Photography in New York. She has received Tel Aviv's Beit Hatfutsoth Prize and the Cape Times Award for Photojournalistic Excellence. Her work features in Long Walk to Freedom and Portrait of a President; in newspapers, amongst others The Sunday Times(London), The Village Voice(New York); in magazines including Leadership and Marie Claire. She was photographer for three educational photocomics: Roxy - Life, Love and Sex in the Nineties (1993, on HIV/Aids); Tomorrow People - Countdown to Democracy (1994, voter education), Nokhwezi's Story (1999, on cervical cancer). Turok has exhihbited in South Africa, Mali, Zimbabwe, Germany, Israel and the USA. She is married to editorial cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro. They have two children, Tevya and Nina.
Source: From Life and Soul portraits of women who move South Africa by Karina Turok/2006
