The Photographers' Gallery reveals the eight artists it plans to support in 2019
The Photographers' Gallery has chosen eight emerging artists for its first-ever inaugural exhibition and mentoring programme that aims to champion and support new talent.
Elena from the series Val Paradiso, 2018 © Chiara Avagliano
Those chosen for TPG New Talent (TNT) 2019 include Rhiannon Adam, Chiara Avagliano, Alberto Feijóo, Adama Jalloh, Seungwon Jung, Alice Myers, Giovanna Petrocchi and Miguel Procença.
They were selected from an open submission process, initially by the Gallery’s curatorial team, and finally by the esteemed US artist Jim Goldberg. An exhibition of their work will be on show at the Gallery from 14 June until 6 October 2019.
Encompassing a full spectrum of photography, from the experimental to the documentary, both the works and presentations test the capacity and materiality of the form, using found imagery, surface manipulation, collage and 3D processes to document contemporary stories through personal memories and collective myths.
Rhiannon Adam creates work that straddles art photography and social documentary, with an emphasis on long-term focused research projects. Looking into the power of myths, marginalised communities and gender-based experiences, she incorporates alternative processes, audio, film and collected objects to expand on such narratives.
Chiara Avagliano is interested in the relationship between image, text and object. Her work is inspired by natural science and informed by her personal background. In an attempt to lessen the distance between science and art, she blends the two elements in a poetic narrative.
From the series Val Paradiso, 2018 © Chiara Avagliano
The Loneliest Child in the World © Rihannon Adam
The Sign From the series Free Acid, 2019 © Alberto Feijoo
Alberto Feijóo draws on the materiality of the image in relation to video, sculpture, installation, book-making and design. His work maps the passage of time, memories and world events, constantly mixing genres and recontextualising the ‘biography of objects’ which surround him.
Adama Jalloh is a British-Sierra Leonean portrait and documentary photographer whose practice speaks of the complex nature of British identity. Themes such as culture, race and identity play a role within the work, which celebrates the intimacy and highlights trials in her community in London.
Seungwon Jung, meanwhile, is interested in how our perception situates time in relation to space. Printing fragmented photographic images on fabrics that are then de-threaded and re-stitched. The gaps and layers created attest to the process of forgetting as well as the imperfect form of retained memories.
From the series Nothing is Impossible Under the Sun 2016 © Alice Myers
Museum Display From the series Private Collection, 2018 © Giovanna Petrocchi
Alice Myers works with photography, sound and video to engage with specific communities and places; using her role as an outsider to observe how events unfold around the camera. These spaces have included prisons and refugee camps, and the ethical issues and tensions that arise during the process are made visible within her work.
Giovanna Petrocchi combines personal photographs with found imagery, hand-made collages with 3D processes, to give new connotations to remote objects from past cultures. Inspired by museum displays and catalogues, Petrocchi presents imaginary landscapes populated by her own collection of surreal artefacts.
Last but not least, Miguel Proença seeks to question the identity of those living along a peripheral landscape. From a topographic or political standpoint, Proença draws narratives about displacement and belonging. Of particular interest are the conflict of ideologies across the post-Soviet space and the repercussions of the military build-up into the collective mindset of these regions.
Russian citizens waiting to vote at Russian Consulate in Riga during March 18th Presidential Election, Riga, Latvia, 2018 © Miguel Proença
From the series Nothing is Impossible Under the Sun, 2016 © Alice Myers
Vladimir while feeding the pigeons in front of his apartment block, Narva, Estonia, 2018 © Miguel Proença
On this year’s selected artists Jim Goldberg, whose own work reflects long-term, in-depth collaborations with neglected, ignored, or otherwise outside-the-mainstream communities, said: "The diversity of applicants and their working methodologies, mediums, and materials, gave me hope that artists are certainly not running out of ideas on how to represent the world – and their places within it – any time soon. I look forward to seeing more from these promising artists."
In addition to the forthcoming exhibition showcase, the artists each receive 12 months of individual mentoring. Working with TPG curators to identify a particular area of their wider practice needing development and support, each artist will then be paired with a carefully selected mentor from the creative field, who will provide specific and ongoing advice and tutelage.
Further information on the exhibition and accompanying events will be announced shortly. In the meantime, visit www.thephotographersgallery.org.uk.
