Exhibitions

This being a consolidating year, after last year’s big splash, has necessitated a more select festival, with two local venues omitted. However, although the festival is smaller this year, the content has lost none of its usual quality and diversity.

The exhibitions take us on a journey almost around the globe. From Argentinian dance halls or ‘Milongas’, to the Bollywood film industry; from back street alleys in Helsinki, to a war-torn Iraq; an exhibition provided by The Guardian and Troika Picture Agency which has completely expelled the myth of ‘unhelpful photojournalists’. We are taken on a trip on the Tokyo underground in Holger Mohaupt’s interesting installation. On the home front, we are shown the most intimate space of the homeless - the beds they temporarily use. We are allowed, perhaps a last look, at work and leisure spaces that are under threat from the creeping gentrification of South London.

A touch of humour is introduced by Nine François’ intelligent and elegant solution to animal photography; images made to assist in her young daughter’s language development. The ‘Female Gaze’ is explored through the eyes of the mannequin and, in Hereford Cathedral, the resident stonemasons are given a challenge by Elaine Ling’s exploration of ancient cultures’ stone carvings.

At the Hereford College of Art and Design, with what we hope will be a continuing collaboration, we are pleased to be showing The Observer Hodge Photographic Award winners and runners-up. Added to this, is a series of images parents rarely get the opportunity to see - teenagers’ bedrooms - usually a no-go area. Not to be missed, are Peter Davies’ stunningly beautiful panoramic photographs of the Norfolk coastline which can be found at The Dennis Potter Gallery in the Ross-on-Wye library, a twenty minute drive away.

My grateful thanks go to our funders who have had faith in us again this year and also in our future. To the Herefordshire Businesses who have plugged the economic holes that our main funds haven’t quite filled this year. On a more personal level, many thanks and apologies are due to everybody who has been nagged and bullied by me during the steep but enjoyable learning curve, of putting on a festival. I especially thank my husband, who has suffered more than most and has been a tower of strength and support!

I highly recommend a trip to Herefordshire to see these shows. How does it compare to a day in London looking at exhibitions? Well, apart from the fresh air, there is no tube to get stuck on, no power failures or endless traffic jams. In Hereford, you can walk leisurely from venue to venue, stopping to try the array of coffees (yes, we have mocha lattes) or local ciders available in our friendly city. Please also visit our print auction page on the website where you can view and bid for the many kind print donations from participating photographers and, in particular, Simon Norfolk’s extraordinarily kindly donated Afghanistan prints, from last year’s festival. Come see!

Nina Gustavsson
Curator 2003
exposure festival