When: 17th July – 24th September 2013
Where: White Cloth Gallery, Aireside House, Leeds LS1 4HT
£: Free
What is it?
A ground breaking photography project by award-winning photographer, Laura Pannack, is to be laid bare at the White Cloth Gallery this July.
In a project that spanned over three years, Laura Pannack gained access to the world of young naturists in Britain today. The result of Pannack’s look at this relatively unknown aspect of society is the unique exhibition, Young British Naturists.
Launching on Wednesday 17th July and running until the 24th September, the exhibition explores nakedness as a concept. In the UK, nudity of any kind is usually reserved for the private realm and often met with coyness or embarrassment. However, in Pannack’s work the unclothed body is not the central focus; it becomes entirely irrelevant. In these pictures a minority becomes the majority, and nakedness becomes a mark of strength and resolve.
This exhibition launch follows on from its success at London’s Gallery One and a Half and is curated by Rhiannon Adam. The photographs consist of a series of young people performing everyday tasks and leisure pursuits. Some of those photographed by Pannack are open about their naturist activities; for others it’s an act that they keep from friends, family and colleagues. Some of the subjects have grown up with naturism, others have not. The single uniting factor is that those photographed feel more comfortable naked than they do clothed. Without clothes all materialistic signs of wealth, character type and status are dissolved, allowing for individual interpretation and a truthful view of the subjects. Pannack’s honest images eschew placing judgement and celebrate the similarities between us all.
At just 28 years of age, Laura Pannack boasts a range awards to her name. Most recently, Pannack won The Royal Photographic Society’s Vic Odden Award for a notable achievement in the art of photography by a British photographer aged 35 or under. Known for her focus on social documentary and portraiture, and driven by research led self-initiated projects, Pannack’s work has wide appeal and has graced the pages of an array of renowned publications from The Telegraph Weekend to The Sunday Times, and Le Monde to The Guardian Weekend.
Co-Creative Director of White Cloth Gallery, Peter Dench said: “We’re always looking to showcase something out of the ordinary that will inspire and as such we’re delighted to be welcoming such an interesting and progressive exhibition to the gallery. Among her accomplishments, Laura has achieved two solo exhibitions in Cardiff’s Third Floor Gallery and in London’s One and a Half Gallery which received critical acclaim, and she continues to excel in her field. We are thrilled to be adding her to our repertoire of inspiring exhibitors.”
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