I Myself

I Myself (2011)—exhibition at wolverhampton art gallery, west midlands. twelve Photographic prints [420 x 297 x 5 mm] and multimedia FILM.

I Myself, a series of photographic work, featured during Oomph!—an arts festival in venues across the West Midlands, celebrating young people’s creativity.

The exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, presented five artists involved in engaged practice, exploring photograhy with children and young people. I Myself, is a series of works exploring identity with young children. Often the subject of photography, they are rarely offered an opportunity to appreicate this as a creative medium, or as a means of communicating their thoughts, feelings and voice.

After tutoring and developing skills, knowledge and understanding, regarding the practical applications of cameras, capturing images and editing software, children moved on to photography, as a means of telling stories and communicating their sense of identity.

With a strong foucs on using the body to express emotions, and the intension that can lay behind a single image, a series of self-directed, self-portraits emerged. Representing more than children just taking ‘snaps’, the images are an expression of their thoughts, emotions, physical selves and individuality. They are young people telling their stories through the lens of a camera, injected with intention, purpose and personality, through this series, we gain a glimpse into their characters and their inner world.