Reviewer: Emily Hall
While the 155th international exhibition of photography boasts a few impressive, thought-provoking photographs, it has no cohesiveness, a few stunningly inadequate photographs and a multitude of amateurish, poorly edited pieces.
Much of the more traditional portraiture is impressive, highlights include First Touch by Sreten Pantelic and Lunchtime Rained Off by David Dyrne. There’s also a sampling of stirring architectural photography. A renowned cathedral, a stunning library and an English car park catch the eye alongside striking uses of colour and silhouette in Boundless Pleasure and Constructivism by Chengjun Yu and Gleb Lunin respectively. The most memorable photographs, however, are not the laudable ones.
While some animal images capture fascinating moments or gorgeous landscapes, many seem generic and unimaginative. Some equestrian photographs even seem ripped from the pages of a 90s picture books for horse-obsessed girls. Even worse are the fantastical manipulations, better renditions of which are found a dime a dozen on Deviant Art and Tumblr. Alternate Reality by Lisa Potter features pigtails, a crown and striped knee-socks. The Black Raven by Andrea Hargreaves features one bare breast, a war axe and a horse.
The standout image, Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed by Lynne Morris depicted an egg with a human face and limbs obscenely grafted onto it tumbling from a fairy-tale wall with gleeful hands sticking out from behind. A vignette border adds a kitschy effect that heightens the discord. Visitors will be haunted by this unwelcome image – whether or not the rest can make up for it remains to be seen.
Runs until 27 August 2017| Image: Contributed