The RPS has hosted the International Photography Exhibition for over a century; this year will feature powerful images from the pandemic
(Image credit: Àsìkò, Spirit in the room, from the series Manifestations.)
The International Photography Exhibition (IPE) is a unique celebration of photography and the world's longest running photography exhibition, held since 1854, and now in its 163rd edition. 57 international photographers have been selected to exhibit images at the Royal Photographic Society, on display at the RPS Gallery in Bristol, UK and available to attend from 16 April to 3 July 2022.
The exhibition aims to showcase experimental techniques that ignite conversations and give a voice to under-represented communities, demonstrating the breadth of contemporary image-making and storytelling today. IPE 163 will be a powerful exhibition exploring various themes of identity, cultural heritage, gender politics, the natural world, global societal issues, the human condition, and mental health.
Collectively, the IPE 163 exhibition compels us to reimagine the way that we interpret the world, with South Korean photographer KyeongJun Yang receiving the Under 30s Award for images from his series ‘Men Don’t Cry’. Another IPE 163 Award was presented to Tim Franco for his work ‘Unperson – Portraits of North Korean Defectors’.
Many of the images selected interestingly reflect ideas and personal impacts that are a direct result of the global pandemic, with images displayed that demonstrate hardships and grief, while also conveying resilience and hope.
Each edition of the IPE invites a guest panel of selected leading voices, with a mix of expertise in areas focused on photography, curating and publishing. Monica Alcazar-Duarte is a non-fiction photographer and member of this year's panel, who says:
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"This year’s selection encompasses a variety of issues present in our society in recent years. I can barely wait to see all the selected prints being exhibited together next year. I also hope that this exhibition opens a space for ongoing needed conversations in our society today.”
Selected works for this exhibition were chosen anonymously from a worldwide open call where over 8,000 images were entered and submitted by 3,944 photographers from 114 countries, with the final selection for IPE 163 comprising 105 works by 57 photographers.
The call for submissions to the International Photography Exhibition 164th edition opens on 15 February 2022, with more information to follow.
A staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has an extensive background in various elements of technology with five years of experience working as a tester and sales assistant for CeX. After completing a degree in Music Journalism, followed by obtaining a Master's degree in Photography awarded by the University of Brighton, she spends her time outside of DCW as a freelance photographer specialising in live music events and band press shots under the alias 'bethshootsbands'.
