Jerwood Encounters: Family Politics, London

Jerwood Encounters: Family Politics, London

Family Politics is the newest Jerwood Encounters exhibition and presents new commissions and existing work by six early career photographers relating to the theme of family relationships. Running until 8 December, the show is curated by Photoworks and will be launched in conjunction with the first issue of the Photoworks Annual.

The chosen participants include invited artists Claudia Sola and The Photocopy Club; and artists selected from an open call, Jonny Briggs, Robert Crosse, Nikolai Ishchuk and Joanna Piotrowska. The exhibition opens up a dialogue around the image-based medium through examining the different ways in which the participants consider and use their photographic practices. Choosing the family as a subject allows for an exploration of the private and the public, as it is the site of intimate personal relations and a social construct altered by political pressures. These dynamics are assessed through the different presentations of family photography.

The majority of family pictures are essentially private, in that they acquire meaning through their connection to the memories, experiences and histories of individuals. However, this topic is also the subject of public photographic representation, largely through digital media and “over sharing”. The show also acknowledges the use of the family in the mass media, art and advertising. Family Politics is diverse in its presentation, documenting many approaches to photography within one theme.

Jerwood Encounters: Family Politics, 6 November – 8 December, Jerwood Space, 171 Union St, London SE1 0LN.

Credits
1. Organs, 2013, Image courtesy of Jonny Briggs.