Join us for an inspiring online talk featuring photographer Polly Braden, as she delves into 'Leaving Ukraine,' her current exhibition at the Foundling Museum. In conversation with Clare Grafik from The Photographers' Gallery, Polly will offer insights into her captivating portrayal of mothers, daughters, teenagers, and infants who fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022.
The event will begin with a screening of the exhibition's poignant short film, providing a firsthand glimpse into the complexities of refugee life, as well as the everyday aspirations of young individuals grappling with the extraordinary situation. Polly and Clare will then explore photography's role as a medium for documentation and storytelling, as well as the profound and lasting relationships forged between Polly and the subjects of her photographs.
A link to the Zoom Webinar will be sent out upon registration. A recording will be circulated to all attendees after the event.
Speakers
Polly Braden is a documentary photographer whose work features an ongoing conversation between the people she photographs and the environment in which they find themselves. Highlighting the small, often unconscious gestures of her subjects, Polly particularly enjoys long-term, in depth collaborations that in turn lends her photographs a unique, quiet intimacy. Polly has produced a large body of work that includes not only solo exhibitions and magazine features, but most recently three books: London’s Square Mile: A Secret City with text by historian David Kynaston (2019), Out of the Shadows: The Untold Story of People with Autism or Learning Disabilities (2018) alongside the writer Sally Williams and Adventures in the Lea Valley (2016). Leaving Ukraine is at the Foundling Museum until 1 September 2024.
Clare Grafik is Acting Director and Head of Exhibitions at the Photographers’ Gallery in London. She has worked on exhibitions with artists including Taryn Simon, Katy Grannan, Zineb Sedira, Keith Arnatt and Evelyn Hofer. Group shows include ‘The Photographic Object’, 'Photography & Collage’ and 'Double Take: Photography & Drawing'. She has run courses on archives and collections in London and has been a lecturer at Birkbeck College London. Other projects include Bettina Von Zwehl at the Freud Museum and ‘Pictures from the Garden’ in collaboration with Photo Oxford 2023. Contributions to books and catalogues include Alex Prager's 'Silver Lake Drive' and more recently for ‘Another Country’ (T&H, 2022).
