International Photography Exhibition 166

Yuxing Chen is a Chinese artist and researcher based in the UK. Photography has expanded her perspective as a new approach to narrative and representation. Her photographic practice is centered around the creation and discussion of the decolonization of difference, the exoticism of Orientalism, and the gaze that it brings. She received her MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the University of the Arts London.

Yuxing has shown her work extensively and won international awards such as the IPE 165 Award. She also has been selected as one of the TOP 20 Chinese Contemporary Photography.

Kalpesh Lathigra is a British Indian artist, His  work occupies the space between documentary and art practice. Both the found and staged image are democratic.

Born in Forest Gate, London, England in 1971.

Lathigra was awarded a 1st Arts prize in the World Press Photo in 2000 and In 2003, he embarked on a project documenting the lives of Widows in India, receiving The W.Eugene Smith Fellowship and Churchill Fellowship. 

Lathigra was awarded a Lightwork Residency in conjunction with Autograph in 2014 and in 2015 A Photoworks Commission for the Brighton Photo Biennial 2014 working in collaboration with South African artist Thabiso Sekgala to produce new works " A Return to Elsewhere " 

His first book “ Lost in the Wilderness” , a body of photographs on the Oglala Sioux and Pine Ridge Reservation was published in 2015. Noted by Sean O Hagan - The Guardian critic as one of the photo books of the year. Lost in the Wilderness explores the weight of colonialism on a community and the shared experiences of the artist's background. 

Memoire Temporelle was published in Spring 2022 reflects on real and perceived memories based in Bombay, using his South Asian lineage as a foundation for the work. It explores the ideas of nostalgia, the insider/outsider view and melancholic longing for the notion of home. The work contains three pieces of writing from Lathigra and three from Rabrindranath Tagore.It is the first part of a trilogy of works. Kalpesh is a Senior Lecturer on the MA Photography at  LCC/UAL  and  continues to work for the leading international magazines on documentary and portraiture assignments alongside personal projects.

Anne Nwakalor is a British-Nigerian Photo Editor and Communications Officer within the art space. She is currently based in Manchester, UK and is the Founding Editor of one of Africa's first contemporary photography magazines called No! Wahala Magazine, which is a print photography publication championing authentic visual stories told by African creatives. 

Her practice developed whilst studying a BA in Photojournalism and Documentary photography at the University of The Arts London and a Masters in Media, Ethics and Social Change at the University of Sussex. Her interests revolve around ethical storytelling within the photography space, Afrofuturism, representation, and elitism within the art world alongside a range of other topics. 

Due to a background in creative writing and film, Anne tends to incorporate text and moving image into her work, creating multimedia's alongside still images. Alongside her visual practice, Anne is also a critical writer, usually writing on topics such as 'Othering' 'Exoticism' and Colonialism within the Photography industry. 

Anne frequently facilitates workshops on photography, ethical storytelling and printed media. She has sat on panels for numerous photography competitions, reviewed work at several portfolio reviews and has delivered presentations, talks and lectures at universities, exhibitions, art events and photo festivals. 

Anne is currently a full time Communications Officer at Arts Council England which is the UK governments funding body for Creativity and Culture within England.

Dr Michael Pritchard’s career started at Christie’s where he directed photography auctions. He has taught history of photography at MA level.  He joined the RPS in 2011 as Chief Executive until 2018 and Programmes Director until 2023. He now consults, working with collectors, photographers and institutions.

Michael has been a selector for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, HIPA Awards, Food and Travel photographer competitions, International Photography Awards, Lucie Awards, Earth Photo and others.

In addition, he has curated exhibitions in the UK and been a selector and curator of exhibitions at festivals in China. He has written and broadcast on many aspects of photography in the UK and abroad. 

Nicola Shipley is a Curator, Producer, Mentor and Consultant specialising in contemporary photography.  She is co-founder and Director of GRAIN Projects, UK.  She trained as an art historian, has an MA in History of Art, and a background in the visual arts, including in commissioning, curation, project management and artists professional development.     

In her capacity at GRAIN Projects she has developed an organisation that practices inclusive photography, collaborating with partners regionally, nationally and internationally, to support and grow photography opportunities for practitioners, participants and audiences. Recent work has included collaborations with British Council Pakistan, Historic England, Photoworks, FORMAT International Photography Festival, GLAZ Festival, Creative People & Places, The New Art Gallery Walsall, Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, GAIA Foundation, Birmingham 2022 and Coventry UK City of Culture.    As an integral part of commissioning new work for exhibition and publication Nicola is interested in community engagement, socially engaged practice and developing opportunities for photography in the public realm.  Over the last few years she has worked with numerous practitioners on a broad range of projects included Aaron Schuman, Anthony Luvera, Arpita Shah, Ayesha Jones, Edgar Martins, Jonny Briggs, Lydia Goldblatt, Mark Neville, Maryam Wahid, Ming de Nasty and Roo Dhissou.  

Nicola has developed opportunities for emerging photographers and has devised and delivered a range of professional development programmes.  She has reviewed work at Portfolio Review events, in festival and education contexts, and has been a selector for a number of awards including ‘Portrait of Britain’ (2021), Source magazine BA Photography Awards (2020), and the Taylor Wessing Photography Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery (2019).   She is a board member of Photofusion.   

"I feel highly honoured and deeply grateful to have been awarded the International Photography Exhibition Award. Also, I am grateful for the support and recognition from the RPS, which means so much to the project and myself. I am incredibly excited that a wider audience sees the pagoda and other oriental constructions."

Yuxing Chen, China

"It is a great honour for me to be one of the winners exhibiting at RPS. Being recognised by such a renowned organisation is such a privilege and a reassurance to me and my work." 

Juno Seunghui Joo, South Korea and works in London, United Kingdom

"In addition to knowing that my work has been chosen for the exhibition where the work of the world's most renowned photographers, including Roger Fenton and Paul Strand, was once exhibited, I am thrilled and deeply humbled to have received the IPE Award.  I can't even begin to express how grateful and honored I am. I am extremely thankful that my work has been recognized and appreciated by the panel and RPS, and that I can also share it with a wider audience."

Natcha Wongchanglaw, Thailand | USA

"I feel extremely humbled to be given this award and very pleased to see people of different backgrounds connecting with my personal narratives." 

Siqi Li, London / Beijing

"I am really humbled that my work has been selected for the IPE awards, especially after seeing all the amazing work that was submitted this year!"
Tim Franco, France