Retina International Photography Festival 24 June – 30 July 2016
Retina International Photography Festival returns for its third year to Scotland’s festival city, celebrating the best of photography from round the world in fifteen exhibitions featuring over 60 photographers.
Based in New York and London portrait photographer and RETINA headliner Jason Bell has shot for some of the world’s foremost publications including Vanity Fair and Vogue US / UK. His work will be shown at Gayfield Creative Space, where RETINA returns for a second year. Lead photographer for Oscar Winning films The Danish Girl and The Revenant – there are few people in the world who haven’t seen Jason’s work in the news or looking out at them from a billboard. Jason also shot for TV series Outlander, filmed in Scotland, and his portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (above) has made front pages around the world.
Alongside, at Gayfield Creative Space, commercial photographer Kareem Black’s work will be shown for the first time in Scotland. Kareem has worked for brands across the spectrum from Sony Music, Atlantic Records through to Reebok and Samsung. He has photographed Maisie Williams (Arya Stark, Game of Thrones) on many occasions. His personal projects burst with colour and life, like Feels Good Let’s Go, a photographic exploration of NYC’s nightlife. Head to @kareemblack instagram for an idea of his most exciting current projects.
East London-based photographer Dougie Wallace grew up in Glasgow hence his moniker, ‘Glasweegee’. Specialising in long-term social documentary projects and an expressive, direct portrayal of street style. Over 17 trips to Bombay, Dougie produced a stunning series of the city’s popular taxi culture.
Edinburgh’s Janeanne Gilchrist and creative portrait photographer Alma Haser headline the spaces at Customs House, alongside Emerging Talent, UK Picture Editor’s Guild 2015 Award Winners Exhibition and a special celebration of Scottish Press Photographers’ work documenting our world and colouring the headlines.
At Customs House Janeanne’s project Inter Tidal charting the debris in the seas around Scotland, in her 10 years has a free diver, has yielded remarkable results and is a damning but beautiful portrait of where dumped rubbish ends up and how the world looks under water.
Retina is very excited to welcome the extraordinary creative talent of German born Alma Haser, who expands the dimensions of traditional portrait photography. Shortlisted for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize at NPG and SNPG in 2012, Alma’s current project is the Cosmic Surgery series toys with original photography of her sitters, turning them into origami and photographing with her sitters with their faces obscured.
The opening night of the festival will introduce David Boni, an award winning Advertising photographer and Director. He started out as a still life photographer – with Irving Penn as his inspiration. David plays with conceptual images and relishes the diversity of a photographer’s life but portraits – on display in Summerhall from June 24 – are his first love.
Saturday 16 July RETINA holds its first ever Photomarathon – over the course of 12 hours, participants will be challenged to take 12 pictures around the city on 12 given topics.
Roddy McRae, Festival Chairperson Commented:
“Retina creates a platform for photographers from across the globe to exhibit their work across the festival city and our focus is absolutely on supporting up and coming photographers to exhibit alongside the headliners whose images will be familiar to us all. I have to thank the RETINA team, our sponsors, venues and partners without whom this festival would not be possible.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
