About the Photographer
Ellie Ramsden is a photographic artist whose practice centres on portrait and documentary photography, informed by a deep interest in people and real-life stories. Working primarily with analogue film, she adopts a slower, more considered approach that allows for intimacy and reflection in her work.
Her practice often incorporates elements of co-creation, aiming to foster dialogue, challenge stereotypes, and present alternative perspectives through authentic, collaborative storytelling. Ellie’s personal projects focus on subcultures and communities, exploring themes such as youth culture, gender equality, collective identity, and resistance to mainstream narratives.
Balancing self-initiated projects with commissioned work, Ellie’s photography has been exhibited internationally and widely featured in the press by publications such as BBC News, Creative Review and Clash magazine. Her work is held in the permanent archive of the Museum of Youth Culture, she was a Portrait of Britain winner in 2024 and has been selected for Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2026.
The energy within the community and the changing landscape of women's wrestling feels incredibly exciting.
Proposed Project
'Becoming Luchadora' is a documentary photography project exploring the lives of female wrestlers in Mexico City who are pursuing careers in the birthplace of Lucha Libre. Photographing them both inside and outside the ring, the project examines migration, identity, gender, and belonging through women who are reshaping a tradition once closed to them. Moving beyond the spectacle of professional wrestling, the essay reveals the commitment, resilience, and community behind the masks, showing how cultural traditions evolve through those who choose to make them their own.
Lucha Libre is one of Mexico's most recognisable cultural traditions, celebrated globally for its theatrical masks, athleticism and amusing storylines. Behind the entertaining shows, however, is a story about changing identities, migration, and the evolving space women occupy within a deeply rooted cultural institution.
This project follows female wrestlers who are situated in the birthplace of Lucha Libre to build careers in a sport that has historically excluded women. Drawn by the prestige of Mexico's wrestling tradition, many have left behind established lives and careers, both nationally and internationally, to immerse themselves in a demanding and competitive sport where acceptance is earned through commitment and respect.
Their stories tell how cultural traditions are sustained and reshaped by the people who choose to become part of them.
