Greetings!

It’s been a while, so I hope you are settling into the new year with renewed optimism and some exciting plans for the year ahead.

This January was certainly more interesting than the last for me. The freedom to roam, whilst dodging Omicron added some spice to a month that is invariably full of dark mornings, and a lowering of va va voom. I have screwed my positivity head on for 2022, in true Worzel Gummidge style and I am determined to have a good time!

I have been to see some great shows recently, and had intended to suggest you could visit them too. Unfortunately, finding time to write this blog, has resulted in most of them having already ended. Oops!

I visited the much-applauded Helen Levitt exhibition at The Photographer’s Gallery with an exhibition buddy. We found a lot to discuss and enjoy whilst looking at her playful depictions of the streets of New York. Mostly shot in black & white, and spanning fifty years, you can read and see more here

I am not the biggest fan of Sebastio Salgado’s work, but I like my views to be challenged, so I accepted an invitation to visit his show Amazonia at The Science Museum. This was a huge exhibition, and there was a lot to absorb. It was a submersive experience, with sound-recordings straight from the jungle, and a harmonious musical score created by Jean-Michel Jarre. I found the show very informative about the Amazonias region, and enjoyed learning about some of the tribes that inhabit the jungle.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen some of the immense jungle images in verdant greens, but that is not what Salgado does. Despite the wonder created in his images I find a lot of them over-worked in post-production. I am glad I visited, though I am still not his biggest fan. Don’t let me deter you, this show runs until 20th March.

Alike: my friends was a solo show by Mary Ellen Mark held at the Huxley Parlour gallery. I brought back an old habit by whizzing down on the last day of the exhibition, and spent a good amount of time with each picture. The show was a collection of 26 black and white portraits, with some of her sitters appearing in different photos from different times in their lives. This show reminded me of how much I love portraiture, something which I am really missing creating myself. I am itching to collaborate with some humans, and there are plans underway!

In terms of exhibiting my own work, there are all kinds of things going on! On 12th January this year a selection of 200 images from POSTCARDS FROM GREAT BRITAIN were exhibited alongside hundreds more images from POSTCARDS FROM EUROPE. These are two group shows curated by Shutter Hub and on display at Art At the ARB, Cambridge University for two and a half more days! If you happen to be in Cambridge then, you can find the location here. POSTCARDS FROM GREAT BRITAIN is a large-scale project from Shutter Hub, which invited photographers to share their visions of British culture through photographic images and create conversations and exchange. Pop-up exhibitions were held in 19 separate locations across Europe, showcasing thousands of postcard-sized images, and this exhibition at Cambridge University will be the 20th and final exhibition in the series.

One of two shows coming up is the London Independent Photography show: Crouch End chapter! We haven’t held an exhibition since 2019, so it feels good knowing we will be back at our favourite Crouch End Gallery; upstairs in Crouch End library. This is where I first saw an exhibition by this group, and what spurred me on to become a member of London Independent Photography.

Exhibition dates, 15th -27th March 2022

Private View, Tuesday 15th March, 7 - 9pm

Meet the artist day Saturday 26th March 1 -4 pm

I will be at the Private View, and Meet the artists event, and probably another weekend date if you are around. Everybody is welcome!

I will have a piece of work in the annual (for 24 years anyway) outdoor exhibition with the 24 photography group that I was invited to join last year. This is the nineteenth year in which, on New Year’s day, each hour of the day is documented by one of 24 photographers. My time allocation this year was 6pm and I was at home, alone. The criteria is to shoot with integrity to the hour i.e. where the artist was, what they were doing, feeling, thinking at that point.

The project was started by 24 graduates of Central St Martin’s university, and around a third of the original participants are still at it!

All images will be shown outdoors in Soho square from 24th February for 24 days, until 19th March! Go and see it during daylight hours!

Tea, cakes and see the show, Saturday 26th February 1pm - 3pm Soho

It would be great to see you at one of these events!

Until then,

Amanda x