Photomonth 07

Photomonth is the international photography festival based in East London which started in 2001 and takes place each October and November with the aim of showing the range and diversity of modern photography to as many people as possible. This year’s festival has over 80 exhibitions and events taking place at 50 different galleries and spaces around the East London area.

The exhibitions feature large scale installations, constructed images, panoramic pinhole photography of the Western Sahara, fashion photography from Magnum, cinema banner painters in Bangladesh, elderly Eastenders from the Somali, Bengali, Jewish and Caribbean communities, children’s dreams, drug abuse, Eastern European immigration, the Palestinian Occupied Territories, acid attacks in Bangladesh, phrenology, controversial sexual imagery, hybrid cultures, and archives documenting daily lives in the East End.

Around 170 photographers are contributing work and the venues, large and small, include the Barbican Art Gallery, Canary Wharf, Host, Old Truman Brewery, Geffrye Museum, Hoxton Square Studios, Magnum Print Room, Reuters, V&A Museum of Childhood and the Whitechapel Gallery. There’s also a programme of special events to help people get an interest and participate in photography which includes portfolio reviews, lectures, seminar’s, talks by artists, workshops and tours.

Nearly all the Photomonth events are free although there are a handful which will charge for a ticket. Check the website for a full listing of what’s on.