Photoworks UK | Commissions new photography, produces exhibitions

The Thing
Photoworks Annual #30

Kirsty Mackay: The Magic Money Tree

Photography+

Images and Imperialism: A photographic record of British India

#21 Thingification

Community Submission: Julie Sando

#21 Thingification

Working with neurodivergent artists

#21 Thingification

Kwazokuhle Phakathi: Almost Everything Has Happened

#21 Thingification

What's On

Digital Residency: Elijah Ndoumbe

November

Hannah O'Hara, From Nothing to Now

4 November to 28 November 2023

Photoworks X Millennium Images Autumn Talks

Starting 5 October 2023

Photoworks Festival: From Little Acorns... to launch in Lolodorf, Cameroon

19 August - 18 November 2023

LGBTQ+ Photography Taster Workshops: Crawley

Starting 19 September 2023

Photography Club: Brighton & Hove

7 November 2023

LGBTQ+ Photography Club: West Sussex

From 23 September to 18 December

Photoworks Festival: From Little Acorns…

28 November 2022

Watch, Listen, Read

Explore a range of digital content from our programme, including texts, films, talks, playlists, podcasts and more.

Elijah Ndoumbe Reviewing Paul Mpagi Sepuya’s Orifice + Aperture

Read

Danit Ariel In Conversation with Elijah Ndoumbe

Watch

Breathing Space, Iranian Women Photogrphers

Uncategorized

Photoworks X
The Ampersand Foundation Residency 2023

Photoworks X

Instagram Takeover: Jack Moyse

Instagram Takeover

News

Digital Residency: Elijah Ndoumbe

Posted on: 7 Nov 2023

Hannah O'Hara, From Nothing to Now

Posted on: 2 Nov 2023

Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship 2023 Winner, Felicity Hammond

Posted on: 19 Sep 2023

The Thing, Photoworks Annual #30

Posted on: 1 Sep 2023

Photoworks Festival: From Little Acorns... to launch in Lolodorf, Cameroon

Posted on: 11 Aug 2023

Announcing Jerwood/Photoworks Awards 5

Posted on: 21 Jul 2023

Writer in Residence 2023 Announced

Posted on: 5 Jun 2023

Louise Fedotov-Clements appointed the new Director of Photoworks

Posted on: 31 May 2023

In Focus - Artist Announcement

Posted on: 3 Mar 2023

Home is not a Place, Johny Pitts

Posted on: 29 Jul 2022

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Dec 1

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Dec 1

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Looking for a Festive gift for someone interested in art and photography? Become a Photoworks Friend to learn and be a part of the contemporary photography sector. We are a globally recognised charity proud to offer an engaging, provocative, and insightful year-round programme. By joining as a Friend, your annual contribution will directly support our programme and fund opportunities for artists.

Purchase a Photoworks Friend membership before Sunday 17 December to receive 25% off your first year, plus our latest publication, The Thing, to your door in time for Christmas day 🎄

Follow the link in our bio to purchase a membership today. You can also email us on friends@photoworks.org.uk if you have any questions or just to say hello!

*UK only. For EU and international locations, you’ll need to order by Sunday 3 December to receive the Annual before 25 December 2023.

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Nov 28

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Continuing with elijahndoumbe ’s takeover, we share stills from their directorial debut “Prayers for Sweet Waters,” supported by britishcouncil and britishfilminstitute

SYNOPSIS: A Burundian refugee seeking sanctuary rests on faith as she searches for belonging. An elder dedicated to her community reflects on wisdom from the past. A genZ navigates finding safety and family in online spaces. In ‘Prayers for Sweet Waters,’ stories intersect across vivid realities and dreamscapes to submerge us into the worlds of three Transgender sex workers living in Cape Town, South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elijah: This short doc is a collaboration culminating out of relationships nurtured and sustained over five years working and living in Cape Town, South Africa. I was introduced to Cape Town via SWEAT - the Sex Worker’s Education and Advocacy Taskforce, and when I moved there to continue my work with them after college, found myself entering a lens-based practice in my collaborations with them. South Africa is one of the places where I came into my own as an independent artist and filmmaker (such as with jannous.aukema and the Deliver Me team). ‘Prayers’ is a part of that journey.

The film has screened at a large number of festivals and picked up awards, including but not limited to: sundanceorg 2022, Best South African Short Film durbaninternationalfilmfest 2022, Hamptons International Film Festival 2021, newfest LGBTQ+ Festival Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award 2021, Seattle IFF 2022, and more. Screening and distribution inquiries - aspectratiofilms

Stills show our protagonists (in order), Flavi, Gulam, and Wes.
DP baz_bailey
Grade josephbicknell

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Nov 27

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When they’re not behind the lens, head-first in research, or expanding on their culinary practice, our inaugural resident artist elijahndoumbe can be found cooking up a storm on the decks. They began DJing back in college, finding creative avenues through which to channel their love of movement and music alongside fellow artists, kemkemlij and hodari.blue , in their EBF co-op (Enchanted Broccoli Forest). They continue to mix live under the moniker LE CHEF. Here’s a snippet from their latest mix for indigosevyn dublab radio show FLUID, dedicated to “highlighting and blending sonic syncretism, fluidity, and genre irreverence in every episode.” For this episode LE CHEF mixes RnB, Afrobeat, club, house, and more… Check the link in our bio to listen in full, and reach out for inquiries at BOOKING@LECHEFMUSIC.COM

Clip audio is transition between tracks by iambyhaze (Feel Good) to dannicassette (Up So High)

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Nov 26

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elijahndoumbe ’s takeover today brings us into their filmmaking practice -

These are stills from my first official short film as a director of photography. It was a surreal pandemic experience with a very tight team on site - director jannous.aukema sound recordist denise_1n , our protagonist Paul Mwase, and myself on the lens. Shooting at the height of the initial lockdown in Cape Town, South Africa, the project, entitled DELIVER ME, is a part of a natural evolution of my lens-based practice propelling itself into moving-image. I love film, the stories we can tell, the connections we make and the creative channels we build together.

“DELIVER ME” SYNOPSIS: Traversing Cape Town’s silent inner-city streets on his delivery bike, Paul Mwase, a Malawian immigrant new to the city, irks out a life during the surreal months of corona lockdown. Delivering food door to door, he meets a world of gates, empty streets and silent stares, his only lifeline a cellphone connecting him to his work and his family, digital faces illuminating him.

The film premiered at encountersdoc, screened at cairofilms 2021 as well as other festivals, and won Best South African Documentary at the African Human Rights Festival. Connect to delivermefilm mharperarts jannous.aukema for updates on where you can check it out.

#DOP #DirectorofPhotography #Cinematography #Cinematographer #Filmmaker #independentfilm

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Nov 24

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Continuing elijahndoumbe’s takeover, the artist shares some self portraits included in “Try a Little Tenderness.” The series is a visual exploration into the world of individuals existing on the spectrum of (perceived) trans-masculine and nonbinary identities of color. It is dedicated to witnessing trans joy, intimacy, and care.

The first slide is entitled “Self Portrait in Puberty,” 2022, and showcases a self portrait of Elijah on their porch in Cape Town, South Africa. The work first exhibited maggeneraux for prixutopie in May of 2023 as a series of prints alongside audio of participant voices. It was also a finalist for the 2023 queerart Robert Giard grant. Audio in this video is of Elijah speaking over a soundscape of ocean waves:

“What makes a man?
Is it just the look?
The feel?
The thought of what he should be?
The curve of his chest, the sweat on his brow
Is it the way he sinks into soil when he’s sad?
No expression aside from outburst when asked.
Nothing to be seen here.”

Second slide is entitled “Taking T, I’m Still Me (Self Portrait),” 2020

You can hear Elijah speak on the origin of this body of work in their recent artist talk with danitariel via the link in our bio.

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Nov 23

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elijahndoumbe ’s digital residency IG takeover continues with the artist’s series “Try A Little Tenderness.” Reference previous post for full description.

Slides in order:

“Phong in his living room at home”
2023, Pantin, France

Portrait of Phong mid-chat, resting on his couch in Paris. Sun spills in from the living room window amidst our conversation.

“Portrait of Hodari & Kia”
2022, Victorville, CA, USA

Since August 2021 when we first started taking photos for the series - Hodari has gone through several transitions of their own - they broke their back in December of 2021 and have been re-learning their body newly, since. Kia and other members of Hodari’s care-pod and community were present to support them and care for them after their back surgery in early 2022. This photo is from this time.

“Trans Boi Joy”
2022, Marseille, France

Zayn laughs as Cal injects him with his first shot of testosterone and Ali, another friend, holds his hand through the process.

“On the 7th, Elijah came to the house with his camera. The guys were all there, a little solemn, a smile on their faces. They had all done it before, against all odds, confirmed trannies. Cal had brought a bottle of champagne that sat in the middle of the table. We went upstairs, I laye down, bare-assed in front of my friends. When Cal pushed the needle in, I laughed with relief. We hugged. Elijah fluttered around the room, fairy child, the mirror clacking as a rhythm between our laughter.” - Zayn translated from
French.

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Nov 22

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Today we are continuing with elijahndoumbe ’s digital residency IG takeover, with the artist sharing some images from their series “Try A Little Tenderness.”

Elijah: “Try a Little Tenderness” is a visual exploration into the world of individuals existing on the spectrum of (perceived) trans-masculine and nonbinary identities of color. Via intimate portrait sessions steered by conversation between myself and participants, I center the soft spaces and often erased experiences that we embody. Our joy is precious. I honor it, here.

The work first exhibited maggeneraux for prixutopie in May of 2023 as a selection of silver gelatin color prints alongside audio of participant voices. It was also a finalist for the 2023 queerart Robert Giard grant. The series so far documents Zayn's first testosterone injection in Marseille, France, Hodari and I in a quiet community in Southern California, my gender journey in Cape Town, South Africa, and Phong at home in Paris, France. “Try A Little Tenderness” is an ongoing and traveling series embracing intimate moments of connection in community across time and space.

First slide shows image entitled “Cal Prepares for the Shot.” Pictured here, Cal, a friend of Zayn's, preps for Zayn's first t-shot while he lies on the couch. Marseille, FR, 2022. The audio of Zayn says:

“Le matin je me réveille et,
Je pense
Soi à toi
Soi à ma prochaine injection.”

Translation to english:

“The morning I wake up and,
I think
Either of you
Or of my next injection.”

Second slide is entitled “Let's Look, Together” and shows an image of Hodari gazing at themselves in the mirror of their bedroom whilst Elijah snaps the photograph from behind, in the reflection. Orange County, CA, USA, 2021.

“There’s a stillness to becoming,
there’s a stillness to the process
that only you know." - Hodari

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