The ROSL Photography Competition is now open and welcoming images from international photographers from around the Commonwealth, who are capturing 'Style' in relation to their homes. The competition aims to capture the current creative climate in the modern day Commonwealth and share it both online and in an exhibition at Overseas House as a means of fostering international friendship and understanding, as well as fostering international cultural connections; a central tenet of ROSL's mission. Making the decision on which photographs will be printed for the exhibition and also choosing both the Mobile Phone and Camera category winners are our illustrious judges, who are based in London and overseas.
Our first London judge is Rakesh Mohindra, co-founder of pic.london, a co-founder of the artist's group Image Assembly, a photography lecturer and a visual artist. In his practice he uses photography, video, sound and performance to explore themes of transition and identity and his research interests centre around the disruption of the viewer’s relationship with the photographic image. His experience as a photographer, as well as contextual knowledge through pic.london, will enable him to look at the technical aspects of the photographs submitted, as well as the thematic relevance to the competition.
Our next Judge is the Senior Curator and Head of Curatorial, Archive and Research at Autograph Gallery, Renée Mussai. Renée has overseen Autograph’s artistic programmes over the past ten years, while developing their permanent collection of photography, and organising numerous exhibitions in Europe, Africa and the US. She lectures internationally on photography, curatorial activism and cultural politics, and has been a regular guest curator and non-resident fellow at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University since 2009. The international awareness that Renée boasts in relation to photography, and her experience of working with the most highly regarded fine art photography in the world brings a brilliant perspective to our judging panel.
Our final London Judge is Director, Agent and Producer, Germaine Walker, who after several years of shooting and studying photography, started her own photographic agency over 20 years ago. Germaine Walker Photographic Agency nurtures and supports young and established image makers alike with their artistic and commercial careers, while working with stills and digital content, and very often with a combination of both. Working with both fine art and commercial photography, Germaine will judge with an awareness of these two professional spheres and see the potential for career growth.
Our overseas judges will ensure that the competition is not London-centric by offering different perspectives while looking at the submitted images. Based in Singapore, Bryan Angelo Lim is the founder and design director of Qu’est-ce Que C’est Design, a graphic design studio based in Singapore. Having studied Fine Art and History of Art, his creative pursuit is tied closely with his interest in pre-modern South and Southeast Asian cultures, particularly the symbols and meaning expressed in through their material culture. With a critical awareness of art history and the knowledge of material culture, Bryan will look at the entrants with a fresh perspective from a historic footing.
Our final judge, who is also tasked with choosing an additional prizewinner, is Farah Mahbub, a Photographer and professor of the photography programme of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Pakistan. Since 1988, Farah has been exhibiting as a photographer in Pakistan and internationally, and heading the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture'a programme since 1997. Farah will bring her technical experience and international contextual knowledge of photography to the overall judging, as well as solely awarding the ‘The Madiha Aijaz prize for a young photographer of promise’ in memory of her colleague and friend, and ROSL alumni, Madiha Aijaz.
With these five fantastic judges the competition promises to bring the best of international photography to London and is a great opportunity for professional photographers to have their work seen by these industry professionals. To find out more about the competition and entering your images, click here.
