Francesca Allen and Maisie Cousins celebrate strong women

“In a society that profits from your self-doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act,” say photographers Francesca Allen and Maisie Cousins, the photographers behind KKOutlet’s first joint show I Feel Sick/Hot Flush.
Allen, who’s a regular for publications such as Riposte, Noisey and The Fader, has taken one room and is showing portraits of “powerful, fearless women at the height of their sexual freedom”. Cousins, who featured in the Creative Review Photography Annual and Vogue Photo Festival last year, has devoted the second space to darkly humorous collages.

“They’re taking what has traditionally been a male gaze and making it into something of their own,” runs the gallery press release. “However, they’re not just rehashing pseudo feminist versions of bygone erotic photographs; there’s flesh and sexuality, but their images are more than that. There’s a huge sense of fun, rebelliousness and unashamed hedonism.”
The exhibition is open until 27 February at KKOutlet – London’s very own KesselsKramer outpost, which also features a well-stocked bookshop.
www.kkoutlet.com www.maisiecousins.com www.francesca-allen.co.uk