Now in its third edition, TPG New Talent (TNT) showcases and supports the most exciting and relevant UK-based emerging artists working in photography today.
The six artists were chosen following an open call with more than 800 submissions by acclaimed artist Hoda Afshar, along with The Photographers’ Gallery Senior Curator, Karen McQuaid. They were looking for approaches and work that were visually strong and coherent across concept, form and realisation.
In addition to a bespoke online exhibition showcase, and outdoor billboard campaign (supported by our partner JACK ARTS, part of BUILDHOLLYWOOD), each of the artists is awarded a £1,500 bursary and paired with a creative mentor to support the development of their practice over a twelve-month period.
In a world marked by growing unrest, and overshadowed by war and natural disasters, how do we rank images and the stories they convey? As I reviewed the pool of submitted images for TPG Talent 2023, I hoped for projects that serve as a reminder of the good within us. I sought out subtle tenderness, a sense of quiet hope, and a display of resilience - both in ourselves and in our world.
Hoda Afshar, TNT 23 judge
Find out more about all six artists and their work below.
Igor Chekachkov (b.1989, Ukraine) is a photojournalist and artist.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his work has focused heavily on connectedness and the idea of home. He is interested in how war imagery is produced, circulated and consumed.
Explore Chekachkov’s work 100 Days of WarIgor Chekachkov | The Photographers' Gallery New Talent 23
Igor Chekachkov's work in situ on a billboard in London. JACK ARTS collaborated with The Photographers’ Gallery to extend support and exposure for our TNT 23 artists by showcasing their work on billboards across London.
Weiyi (Margaret) Liang (b.1998, China) uses her training as a bodybuilder to subvert traditional ideas of gender in her photographs. Her work responds to an identity that is permanently in flux as a result of living in-between cultures and nations. Working primarily with self-portraiture, she explores notions of strength, the body and gender expression.
Explore Liang’s work Mountain of A
Weiyi (Margaret) Liang | The Photographers' Gallery New Talent 23
Weiyi (Margaret) Liang's work in situ on a billboard in London. JACK ARTS collaborated with The Photographers’ Gallery to extend support and exposure for our TNT 23 artists by showcasing their work on billboards across London.
Cynthia MaiWa Sitei (b.1992, Kenya) explores colonial legacies of Kenya. By combining archival images with her own, often indistinguishable, contemporary photography, she invites the viewer to reflect on their own perception and imagination, while raising questions about power and authorship.
Explore Sitei’s project spear of a nation
Cynthia MaiWa Sitei | The Photographers' Gallery New Talent 23
Cynthia MaiWa Sitei's work in situ on a billboard in London. JACK ARTS collaborated with The Photographers’ Gallery to extend support and exposure for our TNT 23 artists by showcasing their work on billboards across London.
Cian Oba-Smith (b.1992, UK) is photographer who makes work with communities that are often misrepresented and issues that are often overlooked. Among Flowers, Tears and Rain records the effects of the knife violence epidemic in London, where Oba-Smith grew up.
Explore Oba-Smith’s work Among Flowers, Tears and Rain
Cian Oba-Smith | The Photographers' Gallery New Talent 23
Cian Oba-Smith's work in situ on a billboard in London. JACK ARTS collaborated with The Photographers’ Gallery to extend support and exposure for our TNT 23 artists by showcasing their work on billboards across London.
Robbie Spotswood (b.1994, UK) is a London-based photographer working in a documentary style to create a visual diary. Raised in a matriarchal, West African home, the themes of identity, culture and race intertwine to create dream-like narratives linked to his own, personal experience.
Explore Spotswood’s work I Just Want to Stay Home
Robbie Spotswood | The Photographers' Gallery New Talent 23
Robbie Spotswood's work in situ on a billboard in London. JACK ARTS collaborated with The Photographers’ Gallery to extend support and exposure for our TNT 23 artists by showcasing their work on billboards across London.
Ruudu Ulas (b.1987, Estonia) is an artist who combines video, photography and sculpture to create installations. She uses everyday objects to create uncomfortable interventions in space that are a balance of chaos and order. Ulas’s work often features objects that are unsuited to their physical surroundings, off balance or presented in surprising ways.
Explore Ulas’s work Difficult Objects
Ruudu Ulas | The Photographers' Gallery New Talent 23
Ruudu Ulas's work in situ on a billboard in London. JACK ARTS collaborated with The Photographers’ Gallery to extend support and exposure for our TNT 23 artists by showcasing their work on billboards across London.
TPG New Talent is generously supported by Leica Camera, JACK ARTS, part of BUILDHOLLYWOOD, and Idlewild Trust.
