Photography exhibition

Yesterday evening I went to a local photography exhibition entitled "Perception".   It was organised by a charity called The Matrix Project.  Their aim for this exhibition and the aim of the artist & photographer Anita Staff was to make ordinary people stop and address their preconceived ideas about what or who a sex worker is.

It was held in the atrium of our beautiful, very large, modern library.  The stands were all very simple with a white background. The images were presented within a plain white mount and a black simple frame.  I felt that this simplicity reflected the non invasive feel of the images.  They were intimate without being intrusive, sympathetic without being patronising.  Any images that showed the faces of the sitters were shown at the express request of the sitter.   The rest of the images were anonomised. Each image had a simple caption beside it which reflected the thoughts of the sitter. 

Images from the exhibition can be found on the photographers website: http://www.ffatsatina.com/  under the "Photographs" page.


I was lucky enough to meet the artist as I was leaving and she explained how she went about getting to know the women and men that she portrayed, taking the time to find out what aspect of themselves they wanted portrayed and how to capture this in her shots.  She respected their confidentiality whilst still revealing insights to their true selves. They trusted her enough to show their vulnerabilites and strengths.

I admire anyone who can find the essence of a person they hardly know and capture that moment.  Right now, this is the kind of photography I aspire to.  I know I havent found my niche yet.  Maybe this is where I am heading?

Staff A/The Matrix Project (2011) Perception [Photographic images]. Norwich, The Forum.  Mon 9th - Sat 14th May 2011.