Open Eye Gallery is proud to present an annual exhibition of new talent graduating from BA Photography and Social Practice (UCEN Manchester) and BA in Digital Imaging and Photography (Hugh Baird College).
From the intimacy of personal relationships to the ways of navigating the perils and sharing our visual culture, these diverse projects illuminate how we can connect and support each other. The exhibition offers a nuanced exploration of the many ways in which relationships are formed, nurtured, and expressed.
Bonds / Hugh Baird College
Each year, Open Eye Gallery works with photography students from Hugh Baird College, giving guidance and feedback on their projects. The works making up the Bonds exhibition delve into the intricacy of shared experiences and perspectives. Each artist carefully explores connections with others, studying the ways they can be manifested or how new ones can be forged.
Works by: Billie Bowden, Jennifer Murray, Abby Ready, Joseph Smith, Courtney Smith, Valentin Todorean,, Michelle Webster.
Ripples / UCEN Manchester
Photography and Social Practice course is delivered by UCEN Manchester and Open Eye Gallery. This year UCEN students are presenting two projects. Dear Dad by Molly Wright is sharing the artist’s personal journey of grief through the form of photography and the astonishing impact that a place can have on memory. Movie Love by Aurelia Mermier invites the viewers to read through exchanged notes, memorabilia, and collaborative experimental photography of the two people in a relationship that has changed their lives deeply.
Works by: Molly Wright and Aurelia Mermier.
Sarah Fisher, Executive Director at Open Eye Gallery, said: Open Eye Gallery is interested in developing career opportunities for photographers from diverse backgrounds and bringing forward the individual voices of the next generation of artists. That’s the focus of these courses and this show. Both exhibitions have been through the process of thinking about what the students want to say as photographers. They are treated exactly the same as we would treat any international artist: it’s not about where they are in their careers, it’s about these individual voices and the stories they tell.
This exhibition is a continued celebration of Open Eye Gallery’s ongoing relationship with Hugh Baird College and UCEN Manchester. They are delighted to be supporting new photographic talent at the beginning of their artistic careers.