Jerwood/Photoworks Awards: new work by Alejandra Carles-Tolra, Sam Laughlin and Lua Ribeira

New work by Alejandra Carles-Tolra, Sam Laughlin and Lua Ribeira is on show at Jerwood Space, London in the second Jerwood/Photoworks Awards exhibition 17 January - 11 March 2018. The exhibition explores themes of such as death, belonging and the fragility of the natural world. Following its London premiere, the show will tour across the UK to venues including Impressions Gallery, Bradford and Belfast Exposed, Belfast. Spectrum Photographic is the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards official print partner.

Alejandra Carles-Tolra is interested in the relationship between individual and group identity and how one identity influences the other. In Where We Belong she explores themes of belonging, femininity and escapism by following a group of Jane Austen devotees.

Sam Laughlin’s series A Certain Movement is a meditation on the state of the natural world and our place within it. His work focuses on patterns of animal behaviour and intricate natural processes occurring all around us. Close observations of various species and the signs suggesting their presence in the landscape, allow us to enter intimate and fragile spaces which are increasingly marginalised by human activities.

Lua Ribeira’s constructed series Subida al Cielo (heavenly ascent) is a personal visualisation, built on the fear of dying. Motivated by escape from reality and the longing for mythological significance in contemporary life, the work is an allegorical exploration of the inevitable decay of the human body, in relation to classical mythology and religious symbols of mortality.

Following a national call for entries, the three Awardees were selected from over 350 artists by Celia Davies - Director of Photoworks, Sarah Williams - Head of Programme at Jerwood Visual Arts, Anna Fox - photographer, Ori Gersht - photographer and Mark Durden - writer and photographer.

With a bursary of £5,000 each and access to a significant production fund to make new work, the artists underwent a year of developmental support from specialist mentors such as Mitch Epstein, Michael Mack and Maureen Paley plus the teams at Photoworks and Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

In a joint statement Celia Davies, Director of Photoworks and Sarah Williams, Head of Programme, Jerwood Visual Arts said:

"We are delighted to be presenting this, the second edition of the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards, a unique opportunity, recognising and supporting potential with a distinctive combination of mentoring, production resources, and a national exhibition tour. It has been an incredible year of dialogue and development for the Awardees who have each received support from the team at Photoworks and Jerwood Charitable Foundation and insights from our brilliant mentors. It’s been a privilege to see their ideas develop and this year’s exhibition is truly diverse, both in the subjects explored and the artists’ individual approaches to image-making. The Awards have already proved to be an important platform for artists and we look forward to seeing Alejandra, Lua and Sam’s careers continue to flourish."