Laura Pannack | YOUNG BRITISH NATURISTS

About

Gallery One and a Half is pleased to announce acclaimed photographer Laura Pannack's first London solo show. For this exhibition, Pannack takes us inside the covert and secret world of young British naturists. This series builds upon Pannack's recent explorations of individuals on the fringes of society and her interest in underrepresented stories, particularly within youth culture. This project provides a meditation on the nature of portrait photography and highlights the traditional role nudity plays within art. Though unlike conventional representations, the images in this exhibition neither celebrate nor comment on nudity and human form, but rather on the body's irrelevance when these strangers meet. Pannack's subjects are connected and at peace with their identities. Their interest in naturism is not built on voyeurism or exhibitionism, but rather on the sensations their environments provoke; the cold water on their skin, the damp grass between their toes, the sun on their backs. These photographs challenge our assumptions, showing young people as who they are, removed from the trappings of contemporary life and expectation. For most people, being nude in public is the stuff of nightmares, but for a marginalised group of young people, who are ordinarily conditioned to be image conscious, the act of stripping off and sharing yourself with the group is the ultimate form of freedom. What is perhaps most shocking about these photographs is the normality and inclusiveness that they capture. This project does not showcase vulnerability, but the strength of a minority and the nature of personal liberty. Laura Pannack is a London based photographer. She was educated at the University of Brighton and Central Saint Martins College of Art. Her work has been exhibited widely both in the UK and internationally including at The Magenta Foundation (Toronto), Hereford Photography Festival, Lucies International Photography Awards (New York), Royal Festival Hall and National Portrait Gallery (London). In 2010 she was awarded the first prize in World Press Photo Portrait Singles category and is a finalist in this year's Sony World Photography Awards. Her clients include The Sunday Times, Telegraph, Guardian, and The Independent. To coincide with the exhibition, we will also be producing a series of events to complement the work on show, to include portfolio reviews and artists talks (TBC). For more information please check the gallery's website for announcements. This exhibition is produced in association with Here Press and Rhiannon Adam.