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GRADUATE
PHOTOGRAPHY
ONLINE 2021

Each year as part of Graduate Photography Online we ask a number of professionals from the world of photography to review all the BA work submitted and choose their favourites. We hope this makes an interesting introduction to the project as a whole.

Mariama Attah

Curator, Open Eye

www.openeye.org.uk

The experimentation, the playfulness, the redefining of boundaries and reshaping of narratives all show a maturity and confidence which seems to stem from a deep understanding of the subject matters and an awareness of how best to communicate these themes. There is a real feeling here of the photographers being deeply connected to their practices and each show great skill and intention. More than this, the six projects show an affinity for visual storytelling and advocate for personal readings of the projects which help to engage and entertain viewers. Overall, the submissions showed a great understanding of how best to present themselves as professionals through strong image sequencing and well written texts to invite further exploration from audiences. There is a feeling of resourcefulness, drive, and ambition that will be sure to continue to act as a steady guide.

Selected Photographers:

Riccardo Angei

Selector's Comment: Riccardo Angei’s engaged, collaborative project of a skate community stirs thoughts on who is included, how this process unfolds, and what obstacles need to be overcome in the pursuit of belonging. In photographing the self, and being photographed in moments of pride and acceptance, the project approaches these themes from several angles. The soft pastels, and b&w images guide us through a range of locations that are the backdrops on which to skate, identify, and belong, and allow for a gentle consideration of the work.

Sarah Deane

Selector's Comment: In Mid-Ocean invites viewers to consider how lives are lived when they are positioned in two different locations and how this spills out into the lives that are lived and the ephemera that accumulates in the background. Deane has experimented with reworking the prints and has brought in a new way of communicating this generational story through playing on the surface of the image while remarking on the emotions and personal stories beneath.

Chloe Nicholls

Selector's Comment: Chloe Nicholls introduces us to what happens at times of massive and sustained doubt. In this instance, the drive towards certainty and reliable answers has seen an upsweep in the use of mediums. Nicholls’ project demonstrates a clever and intriguing approach to image selection. The images work well individually and collectively to tell us this story of inner worlds of anxiety, dread, and doubt and the rituals, performances, and patterns that we immerse ourselves in.

Phoebe Mansfield

Selector's Comment: One Hundred Seconds is a timely project which strikes a balance between urgency and reflection. Through this project, Mansfield has built up layers of images through collage and photo sculpture. The handmade paper is a fitting choice and lends another element of texture and physical trace to the themes of the land wearing away and leaving an imprint. This project is a moving commentary on our legacy, how humans have used, extracted, taken from the landscape and left an empty space behind.

Miriam Levi

Selector's Comment: The photo book as a hybrid, changing, flexible space is an adept and inventive way of expressing ideas on analogue and digital outputs. The pairing, sharing, blending of techniques gives the project a unique and unexpected character that seems to be almost biological in its process and forms. The project works well in inviting closer inspection and thought from readers and seems to open out into several possible readings and interpretations.

Maitiú Mac Cártaigh

Selector's Comment: Maitiú Mac Cártaigh is using photography to create spaces that don’t yet exist. In searching the landscape and the role of the farm labourer, they have identified other ways of being and existing which are flexible and welcoming, and are responsive to new readings of the land. The performative element is an interesting metaphor for working the land and reshaping outcomes that are more reflective and inclusive.

Selection by Karin Andreasson ▸
Picture Editor, The Guardian

Selection by Ciara Moloney ▸
Independant Curator.

View Submission Guidelines  ▸