When women gather… an exhibition of photographs by Grace Gelder

The exhibition is on the ground floor and runs until 10 March – it’s completely free and you don’t need to book to see it.

Curated with Marianne Mulvey.

Completing the sentence “When women gather…”, this exhibition of work by photographer Grace Gelder draws upon different definitions of gathering – from assembling for a specific purpose, to collecting from disparate sources. This collection of photographs comes from Gelder’s archive amassed over eleven years of working on different photographic projects, personal and professional, that depict female-identified people in small and large groups. When Women Gather… explores the ways these meetings occur: for different purposes in a variety of settings, and the potentials, complexity and challenges that they bring. The exhibition also gathers solo portraits together, creating new meetings and meanings.

Expanding the potential of the exhibition and drawing on Gelder’s practice as a workshop facilitator – itself a form of gathering – the public programme of talks, workshops and performances provides a collective space for everyone, however you identify, to unravel what happens When women gather….

The exhibition and public programme launch on Friday 09 November with “Gather Together”, a discussion with Imogen Butler-Cole – theatre maker, business trainer and activist; Chrystal Genesis – broadcaster and co-founder of Stance Podcast; Niaz Maleknia – photographer and tutor; and Natasha Rivett-Carnac – writer & curator; about how and why they bring women together, and what happens when they do, chaired by Marianne Mulvey.

Drinks reception and exhibition viewing from 18.30

“Gather Together” Discussion 19.30-20.30

Grace Gelder is a freelance photographer and educator and who has exhibited and published in the UK and abroad. Since finishing her MA in 2008 she has worked with a range of clients and groups; often working on projects that promote equality and wellbeing. Her practice explores inter-personal relationships, dynamics and the intersection of photography and other disciplines and she regularly designs and leads course for galleries, museums and universities; including V&A, Tate, The Photographers Gallery, University of the Arts London, and Wellcome Collection. She is currently working with Ovalhouse theatre on Imagining Futures, an early intervention service for women whose immediate and longer-term mental health may be affected by issues including social exclusion, exploitation, vulnerability, deprivation and gang association. Grace is Photographer in Residence at Conway Hall.

Marianne Mulvey is a curator, writer and educator. From 2009-16 she was Curator, Public Programmes at Tate Britain / Modern. She has also worked at The Arts Council Collection, Hayward Gallery and Gasworks, and was a Trustee of Fierce Festival in Birmingham 2014-18. Marianne teaches on curating at various higher education and runs thematic evening courses at the Photographers Gallery. She is the recipient of a Collaborative Doctoral Partnership award between Tate and the Royal College of Art, in partnership with Open School East and Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art to research public programming in art institutions.

Ground floor corridor. Fully accessible.