PORTRAIT SALON PRESS RELEASE 2013
In previous years, Portrait Salon has existed as a projection at a one off event. This year, we will be stationed at Four Corners Gallery in Bethnal Green for a week. The selected work will be shown as a projection and published in a newspaper, but we will also show all the images we received which were rejected from the Taylor Wessing prize.
This year, we received almost 2,000 images from 740 photographers from around the world. Our three selectors, photographer Abbie Trayler-Smith, Harry Hardie from HERE Press, and Jim Stephenson from Miniclick Talks, had a hard time making their selection. The final 41 images for the final selection are almost half of what previous editions have featured, but Portrait Salon is as much about debating the competition process as it is about showcasing good portraiture:
“We know that everyone wants something tangible to rank their work against when entering competitions, but deep down, the truth is that we are just people who try to remain objective but who also have our own preferences and opinions. We’ve tried here to show an exploration (of sorts) of what a portrait can be, from the studio to the rolling hills of some far foreign land.”
Jim Stephenson, Miniclick Talks, on the Portrait Salon selection process.
This year’s Portrait Salon will take this debate further, with a panel discussion on 14 November. Steve Macleod from Metro Imaging, photographer Harry Borden and Eleanor Macnair from MediaSpace will discuss the nature of competitions; the judging process, their relevance in the industry and their popularity.
The exhibition will launch at Four Corners on Tuesday 12 November with a projection of the selected images. The projection will also be shown in four venues across the UK on the same night, with a live link up at 8pm. The venues are:
LONDON: Four Corners, 121 Roman Rd, London, E2 0QN
LEEDS: White Cloth Gallery, 24 – 26 Aire Street, Leeds, LS1 4HT
EDINBURGH: Document Scotland present Portrait Salon ’13 at Stills Gallery, 23 Cockburn St, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 1BP
BRIGHTON: Hotel Pelirocco, 10 Regency Square, Brighton, BN1 2FG, hosted by Miniclick Talks
The accompanying newspaper is designed by Stanley James, and will feature all 41 selected images, introduced by Photomonitor’s Christiane Monarchi and containing text on the selecting process by Jim Stephenson.
Key Events:
Tuesday 12 November: Launch and Simultaneous Projection across four venues in the UK
Thursday 14 November: Panel Discussion at Four Corners Gallery. Steve Macleod, Eleanor Macnair and Harry Borden discuss the nature of photography competitions.
Exhibition of all submitted images including projection continues until 16 November.
