The invention of photography was heralded as an opportunity to capture the fleeting, and document moments in time exactly as we see them. But, in more recent years, what was once assumed to be fact has begun to be questioned. Can photography represent a society if marginalised communities are consistently left out? And what do images of these communities, when taken, say about how they are viewed by those in power? Here, we bring you 2024 photography exhibitions which place women and ethnic minority groups at the heart of the artwork – reframing the focus of photography to include everyone.
Autograph, London | Ongoing
In a new outdoor exhibition, Autograph are asking what it means to see and be seen. Renowned for creating spaces where the stories of marginalised people are valued and cared for, the gallery’s newest collection addresses the gaps in the visual representation of Britain’s cultural history and its diverse communities. The collection includes photographs of the Windrush generation and the Rock Against Racism movement of the 1970, as well as works from pioneering artists like Joy Gregory, Sad Shelton and Anthony Lam. Uniquely, the gallery has worked with six London schools to turn the exhibition into a learning resource, supporting students and young people to recognise their own agency.
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco | Until 21 July
A bee crawls across heavily rouged lips. A bloodshot eye stares out as a woman applies mascara. Multi-coloured lipstick is smeared across a mouth. Irving Penn (1917-2009) is best-known for arresting images that tip fashion into the uncanny. He is Vogue’s longest-standing photographer, and his images are some of the most iconic to grace the pages of the famous magazine. A retrospective of his 70-year career is now at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. It includes approximately 175 images, spanning his early documentary scenes, celebrity portraits and abstract nudes. The exhibition leaves the audience in no doubt as to why Penn is seen as the defining figure of post-war fashion photography.
Doyle Wham, London
Aisha Seriki’s (b.1998) photography uses optical illusions and tricks to question the camera’s historic association with truth and time, seeking to challenge colonial understandings of the black body and its traditional depictions in images. She uses bronze combs, an image closely tied with the African diaspora, to examine the moment that an item becomes more than functional, instead acting as a cultural symbol of empowerment, ritual and self-care. The title is taken from the Yoruba Metaphysical concept of “Ori” which refers to one’s spiritual destiny. The work encourages viewers to consider how historical contexts and external perceptions can warp the connection between mind and spirit.
“Adolescence is a crucial time when identities are being challenged…there is so much to learn from the process of accepting the self, and this constant and persistent search by our young people of ‘how to be’ in this world”. Naomi Hobson (b. 1979) was first drawn to photography after she began documenting her clan members working on their traditional lands in Cape York, Queensland, Australia. Now, a series of vibrant, full-coloured portraits taken against black and white backgrounds elevates the voices of young people in her community, encouraging them to tell their own stories. Her work, showcased outside of Australia for the first time, explores the beauty and humour of the First Nation’s young people.
Image Credits:
Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Nothing to Lose I, 1989. From the series Bodies of Experience.
Aisha Seriki: Orí Inú 6, 2024.
OMG, from Adolescent Wonderland at the Horniman Museum and Gardens, © Naomi Hobson.
