Image: Mo Farah (detail), March 2012 © Kate Peters
From Saturday 20 July, M Shed on Princes Wharf
will be hosting more than 60 images from the acclaimed photographic portrait
prize in an exhibition that a group of 13 Young Curators helped put together.
Aged 18-25, the Young Curators hail from the
Knowle West Media Centre, the University of the West of England and Young
Arnolfini, a collective of young Bristol artists.
Julie Finch, Head of Bristol Museums and
Archives, said, ‘The museums are committed to working with young people. We
learn from each other; they challenge our thinking; and are our visitors and
staff of tomorrow.’
This exhibition follows in the footsteps of the
Taylor Wessing Prize’s successful run at the National Portrait Gallery, where
it ran from November 8, 2012, to February 17, 2013.
The Young Curators worked with the staff at M
Shed to determine how the photographs should be displayed and how image
placement would affect visitors’ experiences.
One of the Young Creators, Kelly Lear, said ‘I
have had to consider what photographs complement and work with each other to
create a successful exhibition, something I have not had to think about before.’
She added, ‘It was a great opportunity to be
able to have a say in the curating of such an exciting photographic exhibition.’
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize
is open to all professional and amateur portrait photographers over the age of
18. Last year it attracted 5,340 submissions from over 2,350 photographers.
The subjects of the portraits entered varied
hugely, from well-known celebrities to people from isolated communities. First
prize winner Jordi Ruiz Cirera received £12,000 for his portrait of a woman
from the Mennonite community in Bolivia.
The Taylor Wessing Prize will run from July 20
until November 3 2013 at M Shed, Bristol. Payment is discretionary. For more
details visit www.mshed.org.
