“The camera never lies” used to be a popular adage. But in more recent years, what was once assumed to be fact is being questioned – especially in the wake of AI and deepfakes. It’s become essential to engage in critical thinking when looking at a picture. We must ask ourselves: who is in the frame, who is taking their picture and why? Can photography represent a society if marginalised communities are consistently left out? Here, we bring you UK photography exhibitions which place women and ethnic minority groups at the heart of the artwork – reframing the focus of photography to fill in gaps in visual representation.
Aisha Seriki: Orí Inú
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.
Naomi Hobson, Adolescent Wonderland
Horniman Museum, London | Until 28 November
“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 Nations young people.
Seeing Differently
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.
Image Credits:
1. Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Nothing to Lose I, 1989. From the series Bodies of Experience.
2. Mónica de Miranda, Whistle for the Wind from the series The Island, 2021.
3. Aisha Seriki: Orí Inú 6, 2024.
