Full Plie Photography Exhibition News from the School of Art, Architecture and Design

Photography exhibition for Women's History Month 2022 will see work displayed at Aldgate Library and around campus.

Date: 3 March 2022

Full Plié is a photography Exhibition for Women's History Month by second year students of BA Photography at the School of Art, Architecture and Design London Metropolitan University. The exhibition which has been curated by Senior Lecturer Ania Dabrowska features work by over 20 students and will run from 8-31 March, opening with a private view on 7 March from 5-7pm

About Full Plié

A plié is one of the principal movements in ballet. Every jump starts and ends with a plié. A well-executed plié adds to the perception of an effortless movement by a dancer. Yet it hides the complexity of the effort involved in the performance. Not unlike the often-hidden nuance and complexity of roles women perform in our societies: mothers, grandmothers, partners, daughters, lovers, friends and muses. If gender theory sees gender as an act we learn to perform throughout our lives, the precarious choreography it involves presents a rich subject for photography to explore. Artists in this exhibition investigate this from female, male and queer perspectives, commenting on how women are seen or see themselves, how we relate to women in our lives, society and the diverse cultures from which they come. 

Plié is a transformational position. It signals the end of one step and the beginning of another. In this light, the show's title reflects on the women's issues across global societies and also on the unique hybrid cultural identity of the exhibiting group. Comprising of the UK and international photographers, today's  2^nd Year BA Photography students at the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University are tomorrow's artists and image makers working in wide-ranging spectrum of photographic approaches, shaping and contributing to the universal dance that is the contemporary visual culture. This exhibition falls precisely in the middle of a three-year degree and marks the steps these artists take in their development through the course.

The exhibition works are displayed in a prominent, public-facing window of the University's library, and other, transitional spaces across London Metropolitan University's campus, such as corridors, staircases, and sometimes unexpected, easily overlooked nooks or corners.  The curatorial concept celebrates women's positions, affirms women's impact and agency, as well as reflecting on how many of their important narratives are still hidden or emerge from the marginal positions in society.

Exhibiting Photographers:

Daniel Atash, Sidrah Afzal, Robert Bogdan-Roth, Alfie Bungay, Georgia Collis, Anna Conquest, Zoltan Dobos, Lily-Michelle Doidge, Cristina Filimon, Christal Gentle, Philae Grellety Bosviel, Nina Ijomone, Amy Johnson-Smith, Kasia Kowalska, Teresinha Maltauro, Ruby Norris, Lakruwan Rajapaksha, Károly Rucska, Oleg Savca, Jemima Sharma-Burford, Andrei Smădoiu, Loren Taylor, Thomas Wells.

Photograph by Amy Johnson