Like the Festival Fringe, Brighton Photo Fringe shuns curation in favour of letting everyone have a go. But that’s not to say that this is any old chancer with a DSLR and a Flickr habit, there’s a vast array of quality work on show, including the only photos from Martin Parr currently exhibiting. As well as international names there’s loads of local talent. Think of it as like the Open Houses but international and in galleries. Be sure to check the times though – there are some odd opening hours. Here’s our pick of the 120 exhibitions.
BRIGHT NIGHTS
Open Market Sat 2nd – Sat 16th Oct
Photography is at its most basic level about capturing light, so this quartet of photographers are only making things more difficult for themselves by shooting at night. But the long exposures give a softer, otherworldliness to the work of Alex Bamford, Jean-Luc Brouard, Andrew Ford and Andre Lichtenberg. Four exceptional photographers coming out from the dark.
BRIGHTON THREADS
Beyond Retro Sat 9th - Sun 31st Oct
Every month we send Kevin ‘LomoKev’ Meredith out to look for the most interestingly dressed people in Brighton and every month he comes back with an amazing selection of off-kilter kids, stylish fashionistas and outright eccentrics. What makes his Street Style pictures so good is his use of the montage format, bringing focus from head to foot. Also check out his Daily Swim exhibition at the Swimming Club.
CLOSER
Phoenix Sat 2nd Oct – Sun 14th Nov
Stuart Griffiths started taking photographs with an instamatic camera stowed in his jacket during his time as a Belfast soldier in the late 1980s, and more than 20 years later he’s finally got his first solo exhibition. Questioning the concepts and realities of enlisting, it was chosen from 200 entries as the centrepoint of the Brighton Photo Fringe.
DEGENERATION
Sat 2nd Oct – Sun 14th Nov
The use of large-format cameras by contemporary landscape group Human Endeavour is fitting as they aim to tackle big issues. This time Alex Currie, Simon Carruthers and Richard Chivers (joined here by Oliver Perrott) head into estates earmarked for regeneration to examine the decline of social housing and its effect on society.
THE ELECTION PROJECT/MAGGIE
Old Co-op Building Sat 2nd Oct – Sun 14th Nov
After seeing the Crane Kalman exhibition of his beautifully stark Russian ‘Motherland’ photos, Simon Roberts has become a real favourite of ours. This year he was out on the election trail, commissioned by the Houses Of Parliament, looking at the relationship between canvassing politicians and the voters. We don’t know what to make of Lisa Barnard’s ‘Maggie’ but her and Simon are talking at Brightclick II at the Basement on Wednesday 6th so we’ll find out more there.
NOTHING IS IN THE PLACE
Old Co-op Building Sat 2nd Oct – Sun 14th Nov
A massive curated project by Jason Evans, Nothing Is The Place is a subjective look back at the 90s promising glimpses of political unrest, social upheaval and something called ‘analogue youth culture’. Yeah, yeah, but where this really gets exciting is the photographers involved. Nick Knight, Wolfgang Tillmans and Martin Parr are just three of more than 25 snappers allowing Evans to make new versions of their work.
STATES OF AMERICA
Crane Kalman Sat 2nd Oct – Sun 14th Nov
At just 44-years-old Michael Ormerod died just as he was finding real acclaim, and although he remains a cult figure, this is the first exhibition of his work in almost a decade. William Eggleston’s sinister banality is taken on a Robert Frank-esque road trip to the forgotten edges of Midwest America. Ormerod’s name should be up there with the greats.
THE WASTED YOUTH
Studio Ping-Pong Sun 3rd – Sun 17th
If there’s one thing teenagers know how to do it’s partying. So this show from 17-year old Georgie Turner-Noble – a new name to us – is especially exciting. She’ll create a living room in the studio, throw a party and the pictures and decimation will become the exhibition, showing the “gradual destruction of teenage sobriety”.
WORDS BY BEN MILLER AND JAMES KENDALL
