The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize makes an impactful return to the National Galleries of Scotland
Capturing and sharing emotional, dramatic, or everyday moments in life is the magic of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022. A truly global affair, the prize celebrates the very best in contemporary photography, drawing on over 4000 entries from 62 countries. Featuring work by celebrated professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike, the images selected for the exhibition each tell their own story.
Organised by the National Portrait Gallery (London) and now in its sixteenth year of Taylor Wessing sponsorship, the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize makes a welcome return to the National Galleries of Scotland this June for the first time in seven years. With 51 portraits from 36 artists exhibited in the Portrait’s Robert Mapplethorpe Photography Gallery, this prestigious annual competition provides a vital platform for contemporary photographers; bringing the world as we know it, or perhaps don’t know it, to a multitude of audiences. The Portrait is the only touring venue for the prize this year, offering Edinburgh locals and international visitors alike the only opportunity to see these remarkable works on display outside London. This free exhibition, which has been generously supported thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, will also form a key part of the Edinburgh Art Festival; the UK’s largest festival dedicated to the visual arts.
This year’s prize-winning photographs examine a range of subjects – from queerness, transness and the concept of chosen family to socially distanced glimpses into daily lockdown life and identity and existence in former Soviet states. The variety of themes explored throughout the exhibition is matched by the high-quality, contemporary portraiture that reflects the shifting world of today. Strength in diversity, pride in identity, wonder in the everyday, this exhibition highlights a shared human connection through the broad scope of humanity itself. Visitors can expect a personal audience with well-known cultural figures, including renowned footballer and activist Marcus Rashford and popular star of Stranger Things Finn Wolfhard, along with discovering captivating moments in the more familiar of life’s pursuits. From the aspirational to the relatable, the finalists capture our rapidly changing world through their own individual lens.
The winner of the 2022 prize is Clémentine Schneidermann for the series Laundry Day. The socially distanced portraits of the series were taken during times of quarantine, self-isolation, and national lockdowns. In the words of the artist, they ‘document micro events which deal with the passage of time through the small moments of our daily lives’. Schneidermann’s portraits are close, but not too close, evoking the memory of socially distanced living, striving to seek pleasure in the mundane and monotonous and capturing small glimmers of light where possible; wholly relatable after enduring the collective experience of a global pandemic.
Interim Co-Director Collection & Research, National Galleries of Scotland, Anne Lyden said: “This is the first time since 2016 that the Portrait has hosted the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. It forms a central part of our summer exhibition programme, showcasing world class photography and documenting impactful moments and individuals. The prize provides a crucial platform to celebrate, question, and highlight cultural identity in many forms. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to this year’s finalists, we are delighted to bring their work to the people of Scotland.”
Shane Gleghorn, Managing Partner at Taylor Wessing said: “Works and artists featured in the 2022 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize were exceptional. We are delighted to see the prize returning to the National Galleries of Scotland, enabling this impressive collection of photographs to be viewed by the people of Scotland and its visitors. The prize has enabled artists across the world to use their talent and creativity to raise awareness in respect of a number of key issues and that makes for a powerful exhibition.”
Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, Dr Nicholas Cullinan said: “The entries to 2022’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize demonstrate the outstanding level at which photographers around the world are approaching the art of portraiture. The selected submissions are a remarkable collection of images that reflect the competition’s international reach and demonstrate an extraordinary variety of themes and styles within the parameters of photographic portraiture.”
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “We’re pleased to be supporting the National Galleries of Scotland as they celebrate the finest examples of contemporary photography. Players across Britain have raised over £1.1 billion for thousands of charities and local good causes, and are one of the biggest supporters of arts, culture, and heritage initiatives. We hope visitors make new discoveries and find this experience inspiring.”
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022 will open to the public on Saturday 17 June until Sunday 10 September at the Portrait.
