Tabish Khan the @LondonArtCritic picks his Top 5 Photography Exhibitions to see in London this Summer. Each comes with a concise review to help you decide whether it’s for you.
Roger Mayne: Youth @ The Courtauld
Children and teenagers hanging around and playing on the streets of Britain in the 50s and 60s are captured as if the photographer wasn’t even there. There are children among war-damaged buildings and intimate images of his personal life, in an insight into a photographer many people will be unfamiliar with. Until 1st September, ticketed.
Guido Mocafico: Serpens @ Hamiltons
How do you feel when confronted with these large-scale close-up photographs of snakes coiled on top of one another? Repulsed, afraid, admiration for the beauty of these patterns, or all of the above. For me, it’s asking us to confront the complex historical relationship we have with snakes as venomous creatures capable of harm and sources of medicine. Until 9th August.
Beyond Fashion @ Saatchi Gallery
A finger in a flower, plus multiple bodies merging into one or into the fabrics they are wearing. Stylish, surreal and evocative this is not the fashion photography of glossy magazines, but pieces that cross high fashion with fine art photography. Until 8th September, ticketed.
Storyteller: Photography by Tim Hetherington @ IWM London
These powerful photographs capture the people involved in conflicts across the world and show their human side even when carrying weapons. Tim Hetherington was killed while reporting on the Libyan civil war and this collection of photographs is a tribute to his amazing eye and career in photojournalism. Until 29 September.
Polly Braden: Leaving Ukraine @ Foundling Museum
In another exhibition looking at the human side of wars, Polly Braden has documented the story of girls and women who fled Ukraine to find life in other countries – whether that be finding new love, new jobs or having to live without having had their graduation prom. There’s a sadness and sweetness to every individual represented here. Until 1 September, ticketed.
All images copyright and courtesy artist and gallery. Courtauld photo: Fergus Carmichael.
