exhibition at the lowry

[Theo Dibbits]

This is a press release my daughter picked up for me. Theo

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION AT THE LOWRY INCLUDES NORTH-WEST IMAGES
Photographic Portrait Prize 2007
Sat 5 July - Sun 21 September 2008
The entries for this major international photographic prize, come to The Lowry direct from showing at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Established for over 15 years, the Photographic Portrait Prize is a leading showcase for new talent in portrait photography.

The final selection of sixty works, including this year's four shortlisted artists, offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience a varied selection of works ranging from intimate and personal photographs of friends and family to hard-hitting journalistic portraits from around the world, and judge for themselves which they think is the best.

Images from the North West include Jonathan Anderson & Edwin Low’s close-up photo of Trapeze Artists from Eclipse, the circus musical created in Blackpool which made its on tour première at The Lowry last year.

Fourth prize was won by Lancaster-born David Stewart’s photo of Alice & Fish at Morecambe Bay. Stewart’s prize-winning portrait is of his teenage daughter Alice photographed in October 2006 ‘in her “emo” phase’ at Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria.

This year’s images are an eclectic mix, including portraits of celebrities such as Amy Winehouse, Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins and Ian McKellen, alongside images from around the world. Women and children are a strong theme in this year’s exhibition, ranging from an apprentice geisha in full costume, travellers, an oriental woman playing the piano, a young woman eating her breakfast whilst contemplating a crossroads in her life and kids playing in the garden of Princess Mafalda von Hessen.

The Photographic Portrait Prize 2007 was won by Jonathan Torgovnik, 38, for his powerful portrait of Joseline Ingabire, a victim of rape during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Photographed with her two children, born at the height of the conflict, the portrait explores the terrible impact of the atrocities of war and aims to raise awareness of the plight of thousands of women abused in Rwanda.

Third prize winner Michelle Sank shows the complexity of adolescence with her picture of a teenage girl who at first sight seems very self-assured and empowered. This is before the viewer’s eye is drawn to the scars and scratches on her arm signalling a tendency for self-harming.

Showcasing the work of the most talented emerging young photographers, from photography students and gifted amateurs to that of established professionals, this year’s competition attracted a record 2,700 entrants who submitted nearly 7,000 images. With its substantial prize fund, including a first prize of £12,000, and high-profile exhibition and tour, the Photographic Portrait Prize offers a unique opportunity to see some of the most exciting contemporary portrait photographers working today.

Together the international mix of photographers present a diverse range of styles and innovative approaches to the portrait genre. Contrasts between the use of colour, black and white, analogue or digital technologies, as well as scale, lighting and technique are represented through editorial, reportage and fine art images.

The competition was judged from original prints by: Sandy Nairne, Director, National Portrait Gallery (Chair); Cheryl Newman, Commissioning Photography Editor for Saturday Telegraph Magazine; Sheila Rock, Photographer; Sue Steward, Writer and broadcaster; photography critic for the Evening Standard; Terence Pepper,

Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery and Chair of the judges, says: ‘2007 was an outstanding year in terms of the quality and quantity of photographs submitted. Photographic portraiture flourishes all around the world and the exhibition offers a chance to see the very best.’
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[Paul Jones]

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION AT THE LOWRY INCLUDES NORTH-WEST IMAGES
Photographic Portrait Prize 2007
The entries for this major international photographic prize, come to The Lowry direct from showing at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Thanks Theo.
There's an earlier thread about the exhibition, with a link to the photos here:

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