About
Yani Clarke is a documentary art photographer based in Lismore in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia, working on Bundjalung Country. Her practice is driven by immersive projects that uncover raw, often overlooked stories at the edges of culture, ritual, and community.
Her work has been published in VICE, F-Stop Magazine, Empty Kingdom, and Pearl Press. Clarke has been a semi-finalist for the Head On Portrait Prize and the Maggie Diaz Photography Prize for Women, and has been nominated twice for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass (2016, 2018).
In 2024, she was a finalist for both the Perth Centre for Photography Award and Women Street Photographers, with work exhibited internationally in Brazil in 2025.
In November 2025, Clarke presented her first solo exhibition, LUCKY ROCKET, at Elevator ARI in Dumberimba / Lismore as part of the Head On Photo Festival Open Program. She is currently expanding a body of work rooted in her home region, tracing themes of recovery, ritual, and the shifting edges of belonging.
Selected Exhibitions & Recognition
Lucky Rocket — Solo exhibition, Elevator ARI, Head On Photo Festival Open Program (2025)
Finalist — Perth Centre for Photography Award (2024)
Finalist — Women Street Photographers (2024), exhibited in Brazil (2025)
Semi-finalist — Head On Portrait Prize
Semi-finalist — Maggie Diaz Photography Prize for Women
Nominee — World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass (2016, 2018)
Selected Publications
VICE
F-Stop Magazine
Empty Kingdom
Pearl Press