fri 06/12/2024

My Perspective: Down's Syndrome Photography Prize, Strand Gallery | reviews, news & interviews

My Perspective: Down's Syndrome Photography Prize, Strand Gallery

My Perspective: Down's Syndrome Photography Prize, Strand Gallery

Photographers with Down's syndrome challenge expectations

Sunrise in Wales: 12-year-old Rory Davies's winning photograph, 'Sun'Rory Davies

“There is a tradition of photographing people with Down’s syndrome, but not of positive, strong images of people staring back at you, challenging you to look at them. This exhibition reverses that. The images we produce are not sympathetic or sentimental, but strong and covering all aspects of life, and using contemporary photography to get our message across. We’ve turned the camera 180 degrees and now the former subjects are in control.”

“There is a tradition of photographing people with Down’s syndrome, but not of positive, strong images of people staring back at you, challenging you to look at them. This exhibition reverses that. The images we produce are not sympathetic or sentimental, but strong and covering all aspects of life, and using contemporary photography to get our message across. We’ve turned the camera 180 degrees and now the former subjects are in control.”

Their works quash any preconceptions I could have had about quality or standards.

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