Every weekend we hand over our Instagram grid (@thephotographersgallery) to a different photographer or practitioner as part of our TPG Takeovers programme. Platforming a range of unique bodies of work and perspectives from around the world gives photographers a chance to share the fundamentals of their creative practice, to expand upon current conversations in photography and showcase work or projects which align with what’s on at the Gallery now.
TPG Takeovers are supported by MPB (@mpbcom), the world’s largest global platform for used camera gear.
October 2024
Each month we look back and re-share highlights from our takeovers.
For October, we featured work by Tolu Elusade, Jai Toor, Myah Asha Jeffers, Ngadi Smart and Georgia Metaxas.
Georgia Metaxas
Georgia Metaxas @georgia_metaxas is an Australian artist and educator based in London.
Over the years Georgia has developed a large body of work that focuses on issues of identity and belonging, and its connection to heritage and family history. Her practice explores the tension between ‘artistic’ intent and documentary practice, with a particular interest in examining cultural and social rituals predominantly through contemporary portraiture. Although still integral to her work, a recent shift has found her exploring the broader notions of these themes and photography’s role among them.
Georgia will shares portraits of 12 Women, and in doing so she will explore portraiture and the photograph as a ‘stand-in’. The portraits shown are selected from two bodies of work; “The Mourners,” which documents the ritual of wearing black as a signifier of perpetual mourning, and “Mnemosyne Grove,” which explores migration, displacement, loss, and return, published by @perimeterbooks and recently launched at @TPGbookshop.
She has exhibited widely in both the United Kingdom and Australia, and has also shown her work in Spain, China, and Germany. Metaxas has undertaken a number of international residencies and has developed community engagement programs with institutions including Photoworks UK and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her work is held in several public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria and the Museum of Australian Photography.
Find more on Georgia Metaxas: www.georgiametaxas.com
Untitled #21 from the series, The Mourners, 2010-11 by Georgia Metaxas
Ngadi Smart
Ngadi Smart (@ngadismart) is a Sierra Leonean Photographer and Visual Artist. Along with Photography, she also works as a Mixed Media artist, primarily in the form of Illustrative Photo-Collage Art. In her Photography, her focus is documenting cultures, social/ environmental issues and themes on identity, the latter explored recently through documenting Black sensuality and sexuality from an African point of view.
She aims to show as many representations of Black people, and what it means to be Black, as she can. Her Photography has been published on The British Journal of Photography, Atmos Magazine, I.D Magazine and Financial Times.
Find more on Ngadi Smart: www.ngadismart.com
Ngadi Smart
Myah Asha Jeffers
Myah Asha Jeffers (b. 1994) is a London-born, Barbados-raised, award winning artist whose practice spans photography, theatre and film.
Her work focuses on witnessing and documenting 'Black Interiority' - the nuances of daily life within diasporic communities. She often closely examines themes such as class, cultural identity, queerness, grief, gesture, and truth.
Myah’s photographic work is analogue based and she prioritises making black & white handprints in her local darkroom.
Her photographs have been featured in a host of publications including @VOGUE, @guardian, @elleusa, @theststyle, @The.Independent, @AestheticaMag, @itsnicethat and @bjp1854.
Myah has been the recipient of multiple awards and grants, including The Photography Foundation: Social Documentary Award (2024), The Leica & WePresent grant (2022), and the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain (2019 and 2021)
Her work has been shown in group shows curated by @autographabp (digital), @arthublondon, @black.curatorial, @photographyfoundation and @empathymuseum. She has an upcoming group show with @grain_projects at The New Art Gallery, Walsall.
As the 2024 recipient of the Joan Wakelin Bursary (@royalphotographicsociety and @guardian), Myah will make the photo series “EXCLUSION ZONE” in Montserrat in November 2024. She will also undertake a residency at the @visualstudiesworkshop in New York in January 2025.
Myah's debut short film BATHSHEBA world premiered at @insideoutfestival and had its UK premiere at @S.O.U.Lfest, winning Best Performance and garnering nominations for Best Film and Best Director.
Find more on Myah Asha Jeffers: www.myahjeffers.com
Part of the series ‘Returning to Soil’ by Myah Asha Jeffers
Jai Toor
Jai Toor (b. 1998) is a British-Indian photographer and multidisciplinary artist currently based in London, UK. @jaistoor
Born in the UK and raised in Mumbai, India, Toor’s work delves into the intersections of diaspora, memory, and fantasy, weaving these themes into the everyday environments and histories that shape our lives. His creative process is layered, blending photography, research, text, and archival material to construct visual narratives. Toor seeks to uncover hidden stories and explore notions of belonging and identity, often reflecting on his own search for home and documenting the people and landscapes that surround him.
Toor has showcased his work in a range of venues, including HAUTE Photographie, Pinakothek der Moderne, Hoxton Arches, and The Photobook Cafe. He has also been published in magazines such as It’s Nice That, Telegraph, and SAY Magazine and won the The Photography Foundation - Documentary Series, Amateur Series Winner in 2023.
Find more on Jai Toor: www.jaitoor.com
From ongoing archival project 'Visiting a Thorn' by Jai Toor
Tolu Elusadé
Tolu Elusadé (@toluelusade) is a Nigerian Londoner, visual artist, and curator of accessible and reflective creative spaces.
They use analogue photography and poetry as creative mediums, documenting, archiving, and preserving ideas cultivated from both personal and shared experiences.
Through their imagery and literature, they illuminate the magic of anthropology, highlighting the delicate and nuanced ways in which they choose to navigate the complexities of existence.
By connecting intergenerational communities with art activism, they work to preserve aural and tangible histories through authentic creation.
Tolu was recently a part of the @tpgdevelop collective and co-curated our recent show, Meditations on Love.
Beloved Babes is an honour to the power and beauty of Black Womanhood.
- Tolu Elusadé
