RPS Awards Talks... Brett Rogers HonFRPS with Susan Bright

In this on-going series of talks, hear leading individuals discuss how they use photography as artists, scientists, educators, publishers and curators. All our speakers are recent RPS Award recipients who have been recognised for their contribution to the medium. They are discussing their work with those who know them well.

All talks and links to recordings (where available) in the series can be seen here: https://rps.org/awardstalks

Brett Rogers OBE HonFRPS in conversation with Susan Bright.

Brett Rogers OBE HonFRPS is Director of The Photographers’ Gallery, London, the first publicly funded Gallery dedicated solely to photography in the UK. Founded in 1971, it established early on a reputation for its independent approach to curating and its promotion of photography in all its myriad forms. 

In May 2012, the Gallery moved into a newly transformed building in London’s Soho which provided enhanced exhibition, education and retail space. The Gallery continues to be recognised internationally as an innovator within the field of photography and debate about the wider image economy. Before joining the Gallery in 2006, Brett was deputy director of visual arts at the British Council, where she was responsible for establishing the British Council’s Photography Collection and curating an ambitious programme of international touring exhibitions on British photography. Brett’s original training within the arts was in Australia where she studied Fine Arts at the University of Sydney (1972-76) before taking up a post as Exhibitions Officer at the Australian Gallery Directors’ Council from 1976-1980.  In 1980, she left Australia to undertake an MA at the Courtauld Institute, University of London.

Brett was awarded an OBE for services to the arts in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in May 2014 and in November 2018 she was awarded the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Photography by the Royal Photographic Society.

Dr Susan Bright is an Australian/British curator and writer currently based in London. She has a specialisation in lens-based arts and contemporary visual culture with an emphasis on cross-disciplinary and international programming. Her professional life has brought her to live in London, New York and Paris where she has worked with many institutions on a wide range of projects. These include: Tate, Barbican, The Royal Academy, The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, Saint Louis Museum of Art, Phoenix Art Museum, and The New York Public Library. Susan holds a PhD in Curating from Goldsmiths, University of London. 

In 2019 she was Guest Curator at PHotoESPAÑA. In 2021 she was co-curator of f/stop 9: Festival für Fotografie in Leipzig.

She has authored and co-authored seven books. These include: Photography Decoded (Tate/Ilex, 2019); Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography (Aperture, 2017); Home Truths: Photography and Motherhood (Art/Books, 2013); Auto Focus: The Self-Portrait in Contemporary Photography (Thames & Hudson, 2010); How We Are: Photographing Britain (Tate, 2007); Face of Fashion (National Portrait Gallery, 2007) and Art Photography Now (Thames & Hudson, 2005).

The 'in conversation' will be followed by a public Q+A. Questions will be taken by Zoom chat or can be emailed in advance. Your Zoom link will be sent in PDF with your booking confirmation. 

This talk is free but space is limited and requires booking. 

All talks and links to recordings (where available) in the series can be seen here: https://rps.org/awardstalks