ABOUT PCPA

WE ADVOCATE for inclusive and participatory experiences.

WE ENCOURAGE participants to express themselves and their environments.

WE DELIVER practical outcomes that are both educational and enjoyable.

Pacific Centre for Photographic Arts (PCPA) facilitates photographic activities and workshops for people in Australia and the Pacific, with a focus on regional, rural and remote communities. We strive to build relationships and empower people through considered and engaging experiences with photography.

PCPA was founded in 2021 by Aishah Kenton, Sean Davey and Sven Knudsen. Since then, PCPA has developed a list of like-minded partners and collaborators, all of whom believe in the power of photography to strengthen relationships and share stories. PCPA does not have any paid staff members. 

Meet the PCPA team

  • Nur Aishah Kenton is a Singapore-born, Malay-Australian photographer, artist, and educator whose work is deeply rooted in her own experiences of migration and cultural identity.

    Growing up navigating multiple cultures has profoundly shaped Aishah’s artistic vision. She employs photography, archival materials, and installation to weave together personal histories and broader narratives, often using collaborative and participatory methods. Aishah’s multidimensional practice bridges conceptual and documentary approaches and invites viewers to reflect on their own identities while exploring themes of history and belonging.

    Aishah’s work has been recognised with several grants, commissions, and awards. She was a finalist in the Maggie Diaz Photography Prize for Women (2017) and has received accolades in the National Portrait Prize (2024), Australian Life (2024) and Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Prize (2024). In 2022 Aishah was featured in the British Journal of Photography’s One’s to Watch and participated in the Magnum Photography Lab.

    Aishah seeks to share stories that resonate on a human level, inviting audiences to engage with the rich tapestry of cultural narratives that shape our world.

  • Gloria Hong is from the Solomon Islands and lives in the capital city Honiara. Gloria is co-director of Samedia Limited, a family-owned multimedia company specialising in media communication, publicity, marketing and brand development.

    Gloria started her communications journey as Marketing Manager at the Pacific Casino Hotel in Honiara. Following this, Gloria worked for the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation as the Head of Marketing and Sales, after which she formed Samedia Limited.

    Gloria is a passionate communicator and believes in the power of media to make positive differences in people’s lives.

  • Sean Davey is an internationally recognised documentary photographer with over 20 years of professional experience. Sean has worked extensively in regional Australia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Sean’s photographs are held in numerous Australian national collections.

    In 2020 Sean earned a World Press Photo Award and was named as Winner of the National Rural Press Club Awards for Excellence in Journalism.

    Sean has consulted and managed education and photography projects for the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Australia Council, the University of Papua New Guinea and the ACT Government, amongst others.

    A passionate educator and communicator, Sean is a co-director and co-founder of PCPA.

  • Buzz Gardiner is an emerging Australian-Solomon Island photographer, born and raised in Port Vila, Vanuatu. He lives in the Gold Coast, Queensland.

    Buzz’s work is centred around the Melanesian diaspora and with his work, he aims to shift the perception of Melanesia that has been fostered by decades of foreign representation.

    Buzz has exhibited both nationally and internationally, including speaking at “New Dialogues in Photography” in Melbourne with Photo Collective. In 2022 Buzz was included as a committee member for judging the Australian Photography Awards.

    As the Pacific Islands reopen their international borders, Buzz’s focus has shifted to in-country projects in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

  • From 2018-21 Sven was employed at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as Secretariat of the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grant Program. His role included working on public and cultural diplomacy initiatives in the Pacific region.

    Prior to DFAT Sven worked at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on public programs and travelling exhibitions. Over the last two decades, he curated and toured several exhibitions throughout Australia and overseas. Sven holds an honours degree and a double major in Art History from the University of Queensland.

  • Richard Grainger (with his wife Kacy) is the owner of Grainger Gallery. The gallery showcases contemporary art from local, national and international artists.

    Richard is a passionate advocate for the Pacific Islands. His mother was Tongan and he has close family ties in Tonga and Fiji, which he has visited regularly throughout his life. 

    In 2001, Richard made a documentary about his grandparents’ hometown in Fiji, a village of Tongans descended from warriors that settled there in the 1850s, and who still try to maintain their Tongan language and traditions.

    Richard has extensive experience in the Australian media landscape, including as a videographer and editor at the federal press gallery in Canberra with SBS.