A highlight of January is seeing Britain’s high streets, railway stations, airports and shopping centres transform into a public portrait gallery. This is Portrait of Britain, a nationwide exhibition of 100 images that takes over JCDecaux’s digital advertising screens every year. Its eighth edition is taking place now until 2 February, with a goal of reflecting the rich and diverse heritage of modern Britain. This year’s edition welcomed thousands of submissions, and was judged by leading organisations including Belfast Exposed, Bluecoat Press, British Journal of Photography, Dazed, The Guardian and National Galleries of Scotland.
What’s notable about Portrait of Britain is its accessibility: the exhibition takes place out-of-doors, beyond gallery walls. Audiences don’t need to set foot in a museum to experience the artwork. Instead, people will stumble upon the pictures organically – during daily commutes or trips into town. Since its establishment in 2016, Portrait of Britain has become the nation’s biggest photography show and is seen by millions. This is what JCDecaux Chief Marketing Officer David McEvoy calls “the power of the public screen.” He says: “It is a joyous, inclusive and thought-provoking celebration of what it means to live in Britain today.”
Selected photographers include Nicholas Teo, whose Nature Finds a Way project features individuals who have moved to the UK from around the world. Each person, including Madina from Kazakhstan, is depicted as the national flower of their home country and photographed in a UK landscape. The goal is to create “a tapestry of migrant voices.” Likewise, Alisa Martynova foregrounds Rishan, from Eritrea. “Her parents moved to Sudan seeking safety, but since they didn’t have any documents, Rishan had to flee to the UK to avoid being deported back to Eritrea and potential imprisonment. She told me that, because of the difference of cultures, she never felt at home in either Eritrea nor Sudan. This year she graduated from the university as Adult Nurse and works for a refugee charity in the UK as a Media Ambassador.”
The images, which are published together in an accompanying photobook, are rooted in humanity. They celebrate recognisable figures and remarkable achievements but also foreground the quiet acts of care and compassion that define our everyday lives. Mick Moore is CEO of British Journal of Photography and one of this year’s judges. “It is normally the seemingly mundane, the ordinary that appeals to me – the celebration of the everyday.” At a time of division and ceaseless headlines, these pictures are a welcome reminder of the strength, love and resilience that connects us all. They are sure to make you stop and look.
Exhibition runs nationwide until 2 February. The Portrait of Britain Vol. 7 photo book is available now.
Image Credits:
1. Nicholas Teo, The Lily, National Flower of Kazakhstan.
2. Alisa Martynova, Nowhere Near.
3. Edek Goralski, Mirte Iris Rooze.
