Jodie Bateman is a fine-art photographer who was born and raised in South London. Her first interest was in the way that photography can convey social messages and how she could use the medium to express personal feelings.
Since converting to Islam in 2017 Bateman’s work started to shift and her interest now is in investigating and questioning the stereotypes associated with being a Muslim living in Western society. Bateman intends to expose the difficulties Muslims experience in the West, and hopes to bring awareness to the situation and ultimately a change in society’s attitudes. Bateman is particularly interested in how Muslim women have been poorly represented especially because of their choice to cover up and their dress style. Since migrating from London to the rural town of Godalming in Surrey her work began to focus on her presence as a Muslim woman in small town, English society. Bateman’s work explores the question of how to belong, she photographs herself and her family in thought provoking ways using medium format film photography, she challenges us to think again and to think in new ways about the people around us.