Connection
Brighton Queer Photographers Collective
As a collective, we have chosen to stand in for one another as models - centering ourselves and the connection we have forged over the past year through our shared experiences as artists and queer people.
Creating space for queer representation and collaborative queer art is at the forefront of our collective, as we have found photography can otherwise be a solitary activity. Our collective consists of a wide variety of intersectional perspectives; yet, we find that we have more commonalities than differences. Sharing moments of gender euphoria, learning technical and creative skills from each other, or even laughing about co-parenting a dog with your ex, that is what queer connection can look like. The queer experience is a complex, vast, and beautiful one that deserves to not only be seen, but deeply felt and celebrated.
This project explores the fleeing yet intense and vulnerable connection between the photographer, the observer, and the observed deconstructing the hierarchy of power.
Nuria Castro
Stepping into someone else’s shoes helps us understand how it feels to give control and to be observed. In a world where we are hyper-connected to disconnection, this act of surrender is really important to understand each other.
Through this exercise of swapping places, we gain a deeper understanding of our photography practice, ourselves and our community.
The roles change. The photographer becomes the subject. And we take the opportunity to ask each other:
How do YOU want to be represented?
Roxy van der Post
Photography has always been a way for me to find a common ground with the world around me. In my childhood and teenage years, I focused mainly on capturing changes in nature throughout the seasons and any local wildlife I would encounter. Nowadays, I find I’m able to establish beautiful connections with humans too, no matter how fleeting they may be.
The Mamiya camera at the centre of my images was gifted to me by my father less than a year ago, after he noticed how joining the Queer Photographers Collective rekindled my passion for learning more about the history, technicality, and creativity of photography. The camera itself is older than I am - in fact, my earliest memories of seeing my father take photographs is with this Mamiya - and with it came two rolls of (possibly expired) film that I am still in the process of shooting and developing.
This series represents a web of connections between my father and myself, who I was as a child and now as an adult, and of course photographer and model. Each of these people and iterations of self have played a part in the creation of these images, no matter how passive their participation may seem.
Jerrika Stevenson
To me, photography is all about capturing emotion and vulnerability. Leaning into the beauty of every emotion and not shying away from pain. For a lot of my life I denied myself access to all parts of me. Into my adulthood I have been privileged enough to have access to therapy which allowed me to connect to my emotions in ways I didn’t realise possible. A gift I am thankful for when I lost my assistance dog at the beginning of the year.
His death was unexpected and untimely, it shook me to my core. I miss his presence everyday and by wearing a locket with his picture in I feel I carry my connection with him always. Despite my grief often being overwhelming, my locket reminds me how lucky I am to have had that connection, and how I can share that connection and love with others.
V Teo
Pronouns: They/Them
My work can be described as visual emotional landscapes—an attempt to capture the fluidity of inner worlds through a queer gaze. Each image presents a different portrayal, all in motion, all evolving. This shifting nature reflects the core of my artistic practice: nothing is static; everything transforms.
Photography, for me, is about the intimate connection that forms in the space between the photographer and the subject. It is in this space that we discover new dimensions of ourselves. Sometimes, I find myself stepping into the role of the model, seeing versions of myself I hadn't before, learning, growing, and embracing my own vulnerability. This space between us is filled with possibility, it holds moments of trust, learning, and change, where each interaction teaches us something new, blurring the lines between who is observing and who is being observed. Through this, my body of work continues to evolve, always in flux, always changing.
Lucy Le Brocq
Lucy is a photographer and artist based in Brighton. She documents the ideals and norms around constructed society and marginalised communities. She merges the stories with visual thoughts whilst in conversation, using a mix between concept and narrative.
Mary Martin
I aim to capture ‘ordinary’ moments in our days; allowing for unusual and extraordinary happenings and celebrating the creativity that often emerges from collaboration as well as individual exploration.
10- 14 Waterloo Place
Brighton
BN2 9NB
Map
Collectives Hub - Main Gallery
4 October - 17 November
Wednesday 12:00–17:00
Thursday 12:00–17:00
Friday 12:00–17:00
Saturday 12:00–17:00
Sunday 12:00–17:00