Presented at The Photographers’ Gallery, We Others is an intimate exhibition that brings together Donna Gottschalk’s tender photographs of queer life with texts by Hélène Giannecchini, in a dialogue across generations about visibility, memory, remembrance and the courage to be seen.
In January 2023, American photographer Donna Gottschalk and French writer Hélène Giannecchini met for the first time. Despite their forty-year age difference, an immediate bond formed as archives were unearthed and stories shared. Deeply moved by Donna’s life and photographs, Hélène set out to give Donna and her subjects a voice.
Donna Gottschalk (b. 1949, New York) grew up in the tenements of New York’s Lower East Side in the 1950s, spending much of her time on the streets. This backdrop – often marked by violence and homophobia – shaped her perspective, creating a vision of the world that is raw, real and up close.
Active in the early lesbian, trans and gay rights movements, her intimate photographs capture the daily lives of her chosen family – friends, lovers, siblings and fellow activists – offering a tender portrait of people living on the margins. At a time when gay relationships were still illegal in the US, she described the people she photographed as “brave and defiant warriors.”
“I got my first camera at 17 and discovered all of these noble, marginalised people entering my life. I forced myself to be brave and ask to take their pictures… Sometimes they asked why, and my answer was always: Because you are beautiful and I never want to forget you.’” – Donna Gottschalk
On meeting Donna and spending time together, Hélène said:
“I realised that this was a special encounter, that we would be bound together from then on and that those photos taken 20 years before I was born, also had something to say about my life.” – Hélène Giannecchini
We Others presents Donna Gottschalk’s intimate portraits of queer life spanning over five decades, alongside Hélène Giannecchini’s texts, which illuminate these hidden histories. Together, they create a powerful dialogue about visibility, memory and the enduring courage to be seen.
Special event at The Photographers’ Gallery on Friday 6 March: Donna Gottschalk and Hélène Giannecchini in conversation
The exhibition is conceived by LE BAL and co-produced by LE BAL, The Photographers’ Gallery and Gwinzegal. Curators of the exhibition: Hélène Giannecchini and Julie Héraut
Donna Gottschalk and Hélène Giannecchini We Others
From 6 March to 7 June 2026
The Photographers’ Gallery
16–18 Ramillies Street
London W1F 7LW
+44(0)20 7087 9300
www.tpg.org.uk
