Brighton Photo Biennial 2016
Beyond the Bias – Reshaping Image
1-30 October 2016

Press and VIP preview and opening symposium: 30 September 2016

For this, its seventh edition, Brighton Photo Biennial sets out to explore understandings of identity and representation – our personal and projected image – as influenced by the pervasive genre of fashion and style photography.

Brighton Photo Biennial 2016, Beyond the Bias – Reshaping Image, will address and further question how photography can inform and reflect socio-political issues.

Curated and produced by Photoworks, themes investigated include: representations of the body, gender and sexuality; the subversion of social and cultural norms; photography’s function within the fashion business; the politics of sub-cultures and tribes.

Exhibitions

At the core of BPB16 are three major exhibition projects, one a European premiere of an exhibition from the USA, the others being two new commissions; one centered on British Youth Style, the other a UK/India collaboration exploring sexuality and identity:

The Dandy Lion Project
Curated by Shantrelle P. Lewis
University of Brighton Galleries – Edward Street

Kick over the statues– Ewen Spencer
Fabrica, Brighton
a Photoworks/Fabrica co-commisssion for Brighton Photo Biennial 2016

Reimagine (working title) -Olivia Arthur and Bharat Sikka
University of Brighton Galleries, Grand Parade
A Photoworks/FOCUS Festival Mumbai co-commission

Fashion Shows
edited by Nigel Shafran
A Photoworks commission

Our City, How Do We Look? – Chynna Guyat, Jennifer Jackson, Judith Ricketts and Sophia Wohleke
A Photoworks/Together the People co-commission

Into the Outside: The Story So Far
An exhibition charting progress of this major, multi-partner heritage-learning project with local young people, re-examining the city’s rich LGBTQ+ past and creating a new archive of queer youth experiences.

State of Control
A Photoworks/Fabrica co-commission
Youth culture as explored by young people themselves. A group of young people from Brighton & Hove present new work looking at how style, music and clothes convey a sense of belonging and place.

Opening Weekend

Friday 30 September will see a series of afternoon panel discussions. Curator of The Dandy Lion Project, Shantrelle P Lewis is in conversation with featured photographer Daniele Tamagni, author of Fashion Tribes, to discuss the evolution of style, identity and race politics. Magnum photographer Olivia Arthur and Bharat Sikka discuss their BPB16 collaboration, followed by the third and last panel discussion of the day with Ewen Spencer sharing his visual and music inspiration. Friday evening will continue with previews and our launch party.