On show in the East and West wings of Somerset House is a photography exhibition enriching our understanding of the world we inhabit.
An exciting collaboration between the World Photography Organisation and Sony, the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition showcases leading imagery of today that will expand both our appreciation and understanding of the photographic medium. Spread across 26 rooms, the exhibition consists of an astonishing 800 images, with 300 printed works and the rest displayed on large digital screens. The winning and shortlisted images were chosen for their power to communicate a visual narrative with excellent technical and creative skills. International in scope and subject matter, the collection celebrates the rich diversity of photography today.
A significant proportion of the display is dedicated to the first, second and third place category winners in the Professional competition. Focused on awarding outstanding bodies of work, the Professional competition required artists to submit a series of five to ten photographs across ten categories: Architecture, Discovery, Creative, Landscape, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture, Still Life, Sport, Brief and Documentary – the latter two new for 2019.
In the West wing galleries visitors can find the successful images from the Open competition, which rewards striking standalone images that highlight the beauty and diversity of our world through a clear and creative approach. Photographers were asked to submit a single photograph to one of ten categories: Architecture, Culture, Creative, Motion, Landscape, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture, Still Life, Travel and Street Photography.
Alongside multiple rooms dedicated to the Awards, in the West wing you'll find special exhibition devoted to the recipients of the Sony Grant, the ZEISS Photography Award and the newest initiative from the World Photography Organisation and creativehub, The Swap Project. In the East wing is a rare opportunity to witness portraiture, figure studies, landscape and moving image works all in one space by Nadav Kander, this year's Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient.
Demonstrating the very many ways photography can be used – be it as a symbol of expression, as a way to tell a story, or simply as a celebration of the beauty and diversity of our world, here we see how photographic artists today have utilised the camera to go beyond the ordinary.
