6 UK Photo Exhibitions To Visit This Spring
With winter coming to an end, the sun has brought along a phenomenal range of photography exhibitions happening all around England. Here are my top six exhibitions to visit this year that will leave you feeling creative, exciting and up to date on the contemporary photography world.
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Bargehouse, Oxo tower wharf, London SE1 9PH
13 - 22 May 2016
Free entry
Image: Memymom
Image: Tom Broadbent
Fix Photo is an annual exploration of artists, talks and workshops. This is a fantastic opportunity if you enjoy all forms and types of photography as it celebrates subjects such as portraiture, landscape and the human form; there are no limitations within the range of work exhibited. Surrealism, humanity, emotion and abstract reality are just a small handful of the concepts you’ll be exposed too. One of my personal favourites from the work shown is Chloe Rosser and her series ‘Form’, a collection of images showing the unawareness and the increasing lost relationship with have with our own body. Yola Monakhov Stockton, ‘The Nature of Imitation’ and Venetia Dearden, ‘Somerset Stories, Five Penny Dreams’ are also ones to look out for. Other artists include Cig Harvey, Alex Poll, Sarah Reuter, plus twelve more photographers who are all making a huge impact to photography. This event is perfect for photographers, artists and confident amateurs as you will be exposed to a range of new work, ideas and practises, as well as becoming immersed with artist talks, film screenings, book signings and even the artists latest publications being available for you to buy. ‘FIX Photo offers audiences the opportunity for an enlightening, enriching and inspiring journey through the diverse and tangled channels and tributaries of contemporary photography’. There will also be coffee, cocktails and beer to enjoy whilst being surrounded by thought provoking photography. This is an exciting, stimulating and educational photography event that you must not miss.
Open Eye Gallery- 19 Mann Island, Liverpool Waterfront, Liverpool, L3 1BP
15 April - 5 June 2016
Free entry
Image: Sam Hutchinson
Image: Peter Watkins
Unfortunately for most of us, exhibitions tend to be situated in London, however there is a select few located in the north that are astonishing, and this exhibition is a prime example of this. ‘Open 2: Pieces of You’ is the second exhibition in the series, and aims to showcase six rising star artists of the north. This second displaying of work surrounds itself in the meaning of experiences and how we deal with them. No matter if you are an amateur photographer, a professional or you have a huge passion for photography, you will be questioning the meaning and truth behind imagery from now on. The top artists you have to see within the exhibition for me, is Sam Hutchinson’s series ‘I Used To Think You Were Normal’, which presents itself as almost abstract glitch art, full of mystery. Peter Watkins’ ‘The Unforgetting’ is another showstopper, featuring a recollection of memories, mainly focusing upon his mother’s suicide, and how he’s adapted and deals with this experience. Other artists include Phoebe Kiely, Thom Isom and a collaboration by Stephen Iles and Nicola Dale. This range of work is inspiring, contemporary and, most importantly, provokes questions and thoughts.
The Hepworth Wakefield, Gallery Walk, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 5AW
4 February - 12 June 2016
Free Entry
Image: Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
Image: Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
We all can recognise a Martin Parr image, he is one of, if not the, most inspiring iconic British photographers in all of England’s photographic history. This exhibition is a celebration and homage of Parr’s work from when his passion and obsession began forty years ago. The Telegraph describes Parr as ‘Arguably Britain’s greatest living photographer’, and this will be his first exhibition since Barbican Retrospective in 2002. Even if you aren’t a huge Martin Parr fan, his recent fixation with consumerism will do nothing but intrigue you completely. ‘The Rhubarb Triangle’ is focused in West Yorkshire where Parr spent a year capturing the hard physical labour the workers go to, for example picking the vegetable by candlelight, all in order to ensure quality rhubarb goes to the consumer; ourselves. Parr’s imagery has a documentary look to it, causing it to stir our emotions. However, this is just one of the main focuses to the exhibition, there will also be ‘The Last Resort’, ‘The non-conformists’ and ‘The Cost of Living’ displayed. This is a phenomenal collection of work that gives us an insight and a remembrance into the different ways of life for a British person from the past forty years. Once more, it is incredible to showcase this exhibition in the place where his latest project, or investigation should I say, is located.
Tate Modern: Exhibition- Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG
18 February – 12 June 2016
Adult £16.00 (without donation £14.50)
Image: Amalia Ulman / Courtesy Arcadia Missa and The Artist
Image: Romain Mader / ECAL
‘Performing for The camera’ has had a huge reception, even before opening. Expect a lot of self-portraiture, dramatic arts and humour. The exhibition showcases over fifty photographers, ranging from the Victorian period, to the sixties, to the present day. It explores performance, seriousness and emotion, investigating opinionated topics like gender, identity and self-promotion. Prepare yourself for a variety of different presentational ways such Instagram, posters and Victorian archived images. The carefully selected photographs contain meaning, inspiration and high impact. Expect renowned artists like Francesca Woodman, Marcel Duchamp and Cindy Sherman. It will stir your emotions and opinions, there will be things you love, hate and are completely confused by, and that’s the beauty of putting a collection of artists of this creative level together. This is a great exhibition in terms of showing a large range of photographers that have become iconic British art history.
427 Hackney Road, Unit 3, 1st floor, London, E2 9EQ
17th March - 16th April 2016
Free Entry
Image: Damian Griffiths / Dash Snow Installation View
Image: Damian Griffiths / Dash Snow Installation View
If I was to describe this exhibition in one word, it would controversial. As soon as you step in the exhibition space you will gather this nervous tension like you shouldn’t be here in this intimate awkward space, yet you’re drawn in, similar to how one would feel viewing Ryan McGinley’s work. This is the first exhibition American photographer Dash Snow has had in Britain, displaying eight pieces of work ranging from sculpture, photography and collage. ‘HELLO, THIS IS DASH’ is described as ‘visceral, spontaneous and often offensive’, and that is what it is, you never know what you may find on the next wall. With his work focusing predominantly on sex and drugs, Snow is being recognized on the same art levels as Larry Clark and Nan Goldin. The highlight out of all eight artworks for me is ‘Polaroid Wall’, a spontaneity of experiences. This exhibition isn’t for the faint hearted, you have to be prepared to delve into someone’s personal, intimate and sexual life but if you dare to enter you feel empowered, intrigued and gain a rush of adrenaline.
Victoria House, South Hampton Row, London, WC1A 2QP
7th - 10th April 2016
£8.80 for an adult day ticket and £6.60 for a student
Image: Graeme Messer
Image: Dan Hillier
If your passion for art isn’t just restricted to photography, then The Other Art Fair is perfect for you. This is a really exciting and busy exhibition, full of handpicked emerging artists. This is The Other Art Fairs’ 11th UK edition, and has since showcased over five hundred upcoming artists, giving them the opportunity promote and sell their art work, which you can buy yourself either then and there or anytime on there website. Time Out reviewed the last year’s fair as ‘Overflowing with creative talent’, and that is certainly what it is. Some of my favorites that I urge you to look out for are Graeme Messer and his controversial take on honesty and reality, as well as Carolina Mizrahi’s collection focusing on the representation of women within the media and The Observatorium who is dedicated to her relationship between roses and emotions. Apart from photography, there are sculptors, painters, illustrators, print makers and designers, all willing you on to find your own individual style or passion that differentiates you. There will also be a huge range of activities to immerse yourself in, including a book signing by Martin Parr, The Art of Dining giving you a unique food experience and award winning film screenings. This is a really great opportunity for you to see a large selection of the next generation’s artwork; you’ll come out eager and enthusiastic after being exposed to mixture of incredibly talented people.
Written by Chloe Parker
Website - www.chloeparkerphotography.co.uk
Twitter - @ParkersPhotog
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