Murky Waters

Women have always been and continue to be at the centre of my projects. By taking images of
women, I also capture myself.
Murky Waters is my way of examining the challenges that women still face in society, by
illustrating the positions we are forced into, and the situations that different groups of women
find themselves in. We are taught over and over again from childhood that the only way to stay
safe is to remain within fixed boundaries. On this basis, young women must prioritise starting a
family over self-development. I have witnessed how many are then stuck in unhappy and
abusive marriages, and the rate at which girls drop out of school through teenage pregnancies.
Institutions of religion are also used as both a tool of oppression and a means of spreading
miseducation by the broader patriarchal society, furthering these agendas of inequality.
My work is driven by the need to bring these issues to the limelight, particularly as they are still
considered taboo subjects in my society and are not openly discussed.
– Margaret Ngigi