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Portrait photography exhibition celebrates Bristol’s queer community
LGBTQ+ Faces Of Bristol, a portrait photography project led by Karen Freer, will be exhibiting their work in Southville this summer.
From June 27 to August 7, a selection of portraits of queer people from Bristol will be on display at the Tobacco Factory. The event will feature portraits taken between July 2020 and June 2021 and will be the first time people can view physical prints of the portraits, which had previously only been available online.
It is currently unknown if Covid restrictions will allow for an official launch event for the exhibition, but project founder Karen Freer will be at the venue on the June 27 launch day to discuss the project and portraits with attendees.
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Georgia was photographed for LGBTQ+ Faces of Bristol. Photo: Karen Freer
The exhibition has been supported by a community grant from Bristol Pride, which funded the printing and framing of the photographs. LGBTQ+ Faces of Bristol is entirely supported by grants and donations, and portrait sessions are entirely free of charge to allow queer people of all income levels to have empowering and affirming portraits of themselves taken.
Since the project launched in July 2020, 20 portrait sessions have taken place, capturing the diversity and beauty of the city’s queer community. All of the photographs are captured on 35mm film, and the different locations in which the portraits are set beautifully showcase the subtle nuances of analogue photography and the talent of Karen and her photography team.
The project is run entirely by volunteers, and the team have recently brought a British Sign Language interpreter on board to ensure the project is accessible to the deaf community.
The photographs capture queer people in a variety of locations across the city. Photo: Karen Freer.
A physical photo book of 2020’s portraits is also being printed, thanks to a grant from the Voice and Influence Partnership. The first run of 150 copies will be distributed for free to LGBTQ+ people, and copies can be reserved by emailing Karen.
Those who miss out on this initial limited printing or who want to support the project can pre-order a copy for £10 from Karen’s BigCartel store.
LGBTQ+ Faces of Bristol exhibition takes place at the Tobacco Factory Sunday, June 27 – Saturday August 7.
Main image: Karen Freer.
Read More: The photo project increasing queer visibility in Bristol
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