Portraits Without Faces

Portraiture emerged as one of the most prominent genres of depictive media early in the history of the visual arts; tacit or explicit rules, conventions and cultural expectations have always influenced the ways in which artists approached the genre. Photography is no exception. Numerous different and characteristic styles of portraiture emerged throughout the history of the medium. We usually assume that faces are necessary components of portraiture; we may, however, learn just as much about the character, the personality of a person by looking at images that depict other parts of their bodies, show us the objects or places associated with them. Not focusing on the face may open up a new dimension of interpretation. Our Portraits Without Faces exhibition is dedicated to this challenging divergence from the more conventional approaches to the genre.

Encouraged by the creative responses we received last year, PH21 Gallery invites photographers again to submit their work for a group exhibition themed Portraits Without Faces. We are looking for submissions from all photographers who are interested in this theme, and who would like to share their work with a wider international audience through the exposure of PH21 Gallery. The theme is broadly construed; submissions of all kinds of portraits without faces are welcome. Indeed, we are interested in all possible creative photographic interpretations of the theme.