Brighton Photo Biennial (BPB), now known as Photoworks Festival, is a month-long festival of photography in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, England, produced by

Photoworks Photoworks is a UK development agency dedicated to photography, based in Brighton and Hove, Brighton, England and founded in 1995.

. The festival began in 2003 and is often held in October. It plays host to curated exhibitions across the city of

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...

in gallery and public spaces. Previous editions have been curated by Jeremy Millar (2003), Gilane Tawadros (2006), Julian Stallabrass (2008),

Martin Parr Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in p ...

(2010) and Photoworks (2012). Brighton Photo Biennial announced its merger with Photoworks in 2006 and in 2020 its name was changed to Photoworks Festival. Brighton Photo Fringe (BPF) runs in parallel to the Biennial, providing a complimentary series of exhibitions and talks.Brighton Photo Biennial unveils its 2014 programme
,

British Journal of Photography The ''British Journal of Photography'' (BJP) is a magazine about photography, published by 1854 Media. It includes in-depth articles, profiles of photographers, analyses, and technological reviews. History The magazine was established in Liverpoo ...

. Accessed 23 July 2014.

Organisation

The festival began in 2003. It announced its merger with

Photoworks Photoworks is a UK development agency dedicated to photography, based in Brighton and Hove, Brighton, England and founded in 1995.

in 2006 following a successful

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

National Portfolio funding application that secured the future of the newly merged organisation for three years. The first edition of the Biennial produced under new leadership was BPB12 ''Agents of Change: Photography and the Politics of Space'' produced and curated by Photoworks.

Festival editions

BPB03

In 2003 Jeremy Miller became the inaugural curator of the Brighton Photo Biennial. This edition of the festival included exhibitions, ''Make Life Beautiful! The Dandy in Photography'' at

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a municipally-owned public museum and art gallery in the city of Brighton and Hove in the South East of England. It is part of Brighton & Hove Museums. It costs £9.50 for a yearly pass, discounted to £7 for ...

, ''Parade'' by Mark Leckey at Fabrica (formerly the

Holy Trinity Church, Brighton The former Holy Trinity Church, a closed Anglican church in the centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove, now serves as an art gallery. Established in the early 19th century by Thomas Read Kemp, an important figure in ...

), ''The Inconsiderable Things'' by Rachel Harrison and Peter Fraser at the

University of Brighton The University of Brighton is a public university based in Brighton on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achieved university status in 1992. T ...

Gallery, ''To Be Honest'' an open submission exhibition at Phoenix Gallery and ''Untitled'' by

Boris Mikhailov Boris Mikhailov may refer to: * Boris Mikhailov (Comintern), representative of the Communist International to the US in 1929-30 * Boris Mikhailov (photographer) (born 1938), fine art photographer * Boris Mikhailov (ice hockey) Boris Petrovich M ...

at the Gardner Arts Centre. In addition to the exhibitions, Brighton Photo Biennial 2003 included projects outside of the gallery context. These included a collaboration with Swiss artist Beat Streuli and local newspaper, '' The Argus,'' where images by the artist of the city's inhabitants were distributed as a pull-out in the paper over three consecutive Saturdays. Other projects from the festival included ''Wind Blown Cloud'' by

Alec Finlay Alec Finlay (born 14 March 1966) is a Scottish-born artist currently based in Edinburgh. He is a son of Sue Finlay and Ian Hamilton Finlay. Finlay's work takes various forms and media, including poetry, sculpture, collage, audio-visual, neon, and ...

, ''Insight'' by Patrick Killoran and ''The London to Brighton Art Car Rally and Boot Sale'' in collaboration with

Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors Limited , ;Company No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. is a British Automoti ...

. The Art Car Rally and Boot Sale has continued to beyond the Brighton Photo Biennial festival and has now been running annually since 2004.

BPB06

Curated by Gilane Tawadros (now a Trustee of

Photoworks Photoworks is a UK development agency dedicated to photography, based in Brighton and Hove, Brighton, England and founded in 1995.

). Gilane's vision of the BPB presented a mix of historic and contemporary photography through exhibitions of artworks and shows from Adel Abdessemed,

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', '' Vogue'' and '' Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and ...

, Phyllis Baldino,

David Claerbout David Claerbout (born 1969, Kortrijk, Belgium) is a Belgian artist. His work combines elements of still photography and the moving image. Early life and education Claerbout studied at Nationaal Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp from ...

William Eggleston William Eggleston, (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition of color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...

Walker Evans Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great ...

Paul Fusco Paul Fusco is an American puppeteer, actor, television producer, writer and director. He is known best as the puppeteer and voice of the title character on the sitcom '' ALF'', for which he also served as creator, writer, producer, and director. ...

Alfredo Jaar Alfredo Jaar (; ; born 1956) is a Chilean-born artist, architect, photographer and filmmaker who lives in New York City. He is mostly known as an installation artist, often incorporating photography and covering socio-political issues and war—th ...

, Gabriel Kuri,

Van Leo Van Leo (born Levon Alexander Boyadjian; November 20, 1921 – March 18, 2002) was an Armenian-Egyptian photographer who became known for his numerous self-portraits and portraits of celebrities of his time. Biography and career Born in November ...

Glenn Ligon Glenn Ligon (born 1960, pronounced Lie-gōne) is an American conceptual artist whose work explores race, language, desire, sexuality, and identity.Meyer, Richard. "Glenn Ligon", in George E. Haggerty and Bonnie Zimmerman (eds), ''Gay Histories a ...

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

Lee Miller Elizabeth "Lee" Miller, Lady Penrose (April 23, 1907 – July 21, 1977), was an American photographer and photojournalist. Miller was a fashion model in New York City in the 1920s before going to Paris, becoming a fashion and fine-art pho ...

Richard Misrach Richard Misrach (born 1949) is an American photographer. He has photographed the deserts of the American West, and pursued projects that document the changes in the natural environment that have been wrought by various man-made factors such as u ...

, Henna Nadeem, Mitra Tabrizian,

Fiona Tan Fiona Tan (born 1966 in Pekanbaru, Indonesia) is a visual artist primarily known for her photography, film and video art installations. With her own complex cultural background, Tan's work is known for its skillful craftsmanship and emotional int ...

Kara Walker Kara Elizabeth Walker (born November 26, 1969) is an American contemporary painter, silhouettist, printmaker, installation artist, filmmaker, and professor who explores Race (classification of human beings), race, gender, human sexuality, sexual ...

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

. The Henna Nadeem exhibition, ''A Picture Book of Britain'' led to the Photoworks publication of the same name with text by David Chandler and Dr Benedict Burbridge.

BPB08

Brighton Photo Biennial 2008 entitled ''Memory of Fire: The War of Images and Images of War'' was curated by renown British art historian Julian Stallabrass and explored the representation, saturation, use and currency of images of modern conflict. The festival, named after

Eduardo Galeano Eduardo Germán María Hughes Galeano (; 3 September 1940 – 13 April 2015) was a Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist considered, among other things, "a literary giant of the Latin American left" and "global soccer's pre-eminent man of le ...

's publication of the same name, saw ten exhibitions exploring the theme from a wide variety of artists, citizen journalists, the media and public. Stallabrass' edition of the festival saw it extend beyond the city of Brighton and Hove to nearby regions of Chichester, Winchester, Eastbourne, Hastings and Portsmouth. These exhibitions included ''Agent Orange'' at

Pallant House Gallery Pallant House Gallery is an art gallery in Chichester, West Sussex, England. It houses one of the best collections of 20th-century British art in the world. History The Gallery's collection is founded on works left to the city of Chichester by ...

with works by

Philip Jones Griffiths Philip Jones Griffiths (18 February 1936 – 19 March 2008) was a Welsh photojournalist known for his coverage of the Vietnam War. Biography Jones Griffiths was born in Rhuddlan in Denbighshire, North Wales, to Joseph Griffiths, who superv ...

, ''Designs for Solidarity'' at the Design Archives, ''Iraq Through the Lens of Vietnam'' at the University of Brighton Gallery, ''Photographing the First World War'' at

Charleston Farmhouse Charleston, in East Sussex, is a property associated with the Bloomsbury group, that is open to the public. It was the country home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and is an example of their decorative style within a domestic context, represe ...

, ''Photography & Revolution: Memory Trails through the Latin American Left'' at The Winchester Gallery, ''The Sublime Image of Destruction'' at

De La Warr Pavilion The De La Warr Pavilion is a grade I listed building, located on the seafront at Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. The Modern architecture, Modernist and International style (architecture), International Style buildin ...

, ''Unveiled: Voices of Women in Afghanistan'' at Independent Photographers Gallery, ''War Memorial'' at Aspex, ''Why, Mister, Why? and Baghdad Calling'' at Lighthouse and the controversial ''The Incommensurable Banner'' at Fabrica. ''The Incommensurable Banner'' received critical acclaim and controversial press during the Brighton Photo Biennial 2008 and in New York where it was exhibited prior to the UK, both locally and nationally for its display of graphic imagery, resulting in the exhibition closing its doors to those under 18 years old. This highly topical edition of the festival led to Stallabrass' revisiting of the works and artists in the 2013 Photoworks publication, ''Memory of Fire: Images of War and the War of Images'' which he edited. The book contextualised the exhibitions, talks and works presented in the 2008 Biennial and supplemented them with new works, interviews and critiques. This publication received critical acclaim within the photography industry through reviews in The Art Newspaper, Aperture Online and 1000Words.

BPB10

2010 saw the British documentary photographer,

take the helm as Curator, titling the edition ''New Documents'' - portraying the vibrancy of photography in reflection of the diversity of the city of Brighton & Hove. Photography critic

Sean O'Hagan Sean O'Hagan (born 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter who leads the avant-pop band the High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo (with Cathal Coughlan) in Microdisney and for his wor ...

commented in ''The Guardian'' that, "This year's Brighton Photo Biennial may yet become the model for the great British photo festival of the future". In addition to the usual format of exhibitions in and around the city, Parr's BPB again extended the scope of the festival by pitching itself as the UK's first "frameless" photography festival and commissioning some of the artists to produce site-specific work for the Brighton context. Parr gave his reason for this, “As curator, I want to make this festival fresh, distinctive and focused on Brighton & Hove. This city is the ideal venue for a Photo Biennial. It has a natural cultural constituency of its own, and its proximity to London promises a potentially huge audience. By presenting the very best new work in an exciting and imaginative way, Brighton Photo Biennial 2010 will continue to put photography in Brighton & Hove on the national and international map.". In its fourth edition, the 2010 Biennial's programme of events had also grown to include a larger education and participation strand than previous editions. This led to the inclusion of Brighton's White Night that encouraged the public and artists to engage with photography and light in different and unexpected ways.

BPB12

The first edition of the Biennial following the merger of BPB with Photoworks, Brighton Photo Biennial 2012, ''Agents of Change: Photography and the Politics of Space'' was curated by Photoworks' Director, Celia Davies, and Programme Curator Dr Benedict Burbridge. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, the BPB12 grew again, hosting 14 exhibitions across Brighton & Hove, 7 workshops and 19 talks & symposia. The exhibitions portrayed acclaimed national and international contemporary photographic practitioners and filmmakers who explored the theme through images of activism, conflict, uprisings, protest and

urban exploration Urban exploration (often shortened as UE, urbex, and sometimes known as roof and tunnel hacking) is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment. Photography and historical inte ...

. It included: *''Four Versions of Three Routes'', Preston is My Paris *''Control Order House, Edmund Clark *''Uneven Development'', Jason Larkin and Corine Silva *''Freedom is a Career'', John 'Hoppy' Hopkins *''Geographies of Seeing'',

Trevor Paglen Trevor Paglen (born 1974) is an American artist, geographer, and author whose work covers mass surveillance and data collection. In 2016, Paglen won the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize and he has also won The Cultural Award from the ...

*''October'',

Thomson & Craighead Jon Thomson (born 1969) and Alison Craighead (born 1971) are London-based visual artists, who work with video, sound and the internet. Life and work Jon Thomson was born in London, England and Alison Craighead in Aberdeen, Scotland. They have ...

*''Five Thousand Feet is the Best'',

Omer Fast Omer Fast (; born in Jerusalem, 1972) is an Israeli contemporary artist. Early life and education Born and raised in Jerusalem, Fast spent much of his teenage years in New York. He received his BFA from a dual-degree program at Tufts Universit ...

*''Urban Exploration'' by Various Artists *''Critical Image Cairo'', Alternative News Agency and Ronnie Close *''The Beautiful Horizon'', No Olho da Rua *''Whose Streets?'' photographs from '' The Argus'' archives *''Political Squatting in Brighton'' Another Space *''Urban Farming in London and Havana'' Lulu Ash *''BPB and Photobook Show'' various artists The ''Agents of Change'' 2012 Biennial attracted over 100,000 visits from 6 October - 4 November 2012, making it one of Europe's largest photography festivals. Critic Peter Popham described BPB12 as "edgier than ever" for its tackling of difficult subject matter such as poverty, wealth disparity and politics in the Independent. The poster image for the festival that year - ''Seafront Demo, 1983'' from The Argus Archive project in Jubilee Square - made the local press as one of the protesters depicted identified herself from the image she had long ago forgotten. The protester, Janice Harnden, had spotted herself in the image whilst walking past the University of Brighton Gallery. An interview conducted by Natalie Lloyd with Janice can be read on the Photoworks site.

BPB14

The sixth Brighton Photo Biennial was held from 4 October - 2 November 2014. The theme was 'Communities, collectives and collaboration'. There was no single curator, but rather an emphasis on partnerships.

BPB16

The seventh Brighton Photo Biennial was held from 1–30 October 2016. The theme was "Beyond the Bias - Reshaping Image".

BPB18

The eighth Brighton Photo Biennial was entitled "A New Europe", exploring the themes of

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

and the changes it will bring about in Britain and Europe, as well as the

migrant crisis A migrant crisis is a difficult or dangerous situation that arises due to the movements of large groups of immigrants (displaced people, refugees or asylum seekers) in the receiving state (destination country). Migrants are often escaping from co ...

and the rise of far-right politics.

Photoworks Festival 2020

In 2020 the festival was renamed Photoworks Festival. It will take place from 24 September to 25 October with a theme of Propositions for Alternative Narratives. Participants include Farah Al Qasimi,

Poulomi Basu Poulomi Basu (born October 1983) is an Indian artist, documentary photographer, filmmaker and activist, much of whose work addresses the normalisation of violence against marginalised women. Basu received the Royal Photographic Society's Hood M ...

, Roger Eberhard, Ivars Grāvlejs,

Yijun Liao Yijun Liao, also known as Pixy Liao, is a Chinese artist, living in New York City. Biography Liao was born in Shanghai. She currently lives in Brooklyn. Liao received an MFA in photography from the University of Memphis. She is mostly known ...

(Pixy Liao), and Alberta Whittle. Due to

social distancing measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures were implemented nearly worldwide in order to slow the spread of the disease. This article details the history of the social distancing measures, a list of countries implementing them, w ...

, the festival will take three forms: outdoor exhibitions on billboards throughout Brighton and Hove; a deconstructable magazine that can be displayed at home, with posters, and texts by Julia Bunnemann, Simon Baker, Pamila Gupta, Thyago Nogueira and others; and online.

Brighton Photo Fringe

Brighton Photo Fringe (BPF) runs in parallel to the Biennial, providing a complimentary series of exhibitions and talks.Brighton Photo Biennial unveils its 2014 programme
,

. Accessed 23 July 2014.

References

External links

*
Brighton Photo Fringe
{{List of Biennales Festivals in Brighton and Hove Art festivals in the United Kingdom Photography festivals Photography in England Art biennials 2003 establishments in England Festivals established in 2003

Organisation

Festival editions

BPB03

BPB06

BPB08

BPB10

BPB12

BPB14

BPB16

BPB18

Photoworks Festival 2020

Brighton Photo Fringe

See also

References

External links