Holly-Marie Cato

SIARADWYR YN YR ŴYL

Translation Pending… Holly-Marie Cato is a documentary and commercial photographer. Influenced by her background in Architecture, Cato’s work constantly explores people's reclamation of space within the built environment. Her work has seen her travel the globe from Nicaragua to Mumbai, seeking out authentic stories of resilience, human rights and wildlife conservation, forging connections with grassroots-based charities, and partnering with international brands.

Her work is gracious, honest and never fails to place dignity on the subject. 

“The heart of my work is about connection, finding commonalities in the human experiences while celebrating their vast and rich differences. I delve into religion, identity, displacement, reclamation and land sovereignty.”

Swift River explores the rural mountain community where Cato's grandparents migrated. Through the mass exodus of inhabitants and Cato documents the lives of those who remain and their complex rich relationship water that surrounds them and how they are being divested from that natural resource, like many indigenous communities around the world. 

Heavy is The Mantle:

Heavy is The Mantle documents the days before Bishop Herbert Cato stepped down as head of City Mission church and the passing of that mantle of responsibility to the following leader. Spurred on by the nostalgia of attending Sunday service with her late grandmother, Holly-Marie Cato explores her fascination of Christianity within the Caribbean community, from swishing pulpit gowns, praise breaks, taking communion and the theatre of exhortation. Heavy is the Mantle, is Cato's debut solo exhibition at Leica Gallery London (2023), documenting the spiritual and symbolic mantle of responsibility church leaders carry with reverence, and their task of passing that mantle and tradition on to the following generation. 

Notting Hill Carnival:

Notting Hill Carnival documents nine years of Europe's largest festival, drawing two million people to a small area of West London to celebrate Afro-Caribbean culture and the resilience of Britain's immigrant community. Born out of the tragic race riots of the 1960s against Black residents, Notting Hill Carnival emerged as an act of protest and resistance. While a viewer may observe a massive gathering filled with loud music, dancing, food, and even a bit of chaos, at its core, it is the reclamation of space still threatened by gentrification. Through this occupation of space, carnival allows the community to embody joy despite circumstance. 

Maha Kumbh Mela

Maha Kumbh Mela is a visual record from the largest human gathering in the world, where over half a billion Hindus, pilgrimed to Prayagraj, India, to bathe in the Ganges River for the cleansing of their sins, access into the afterlife and to provide blessings to their kin. This event took place during a once in every 144 year unique planetary alignment.  

www.hollycato.com