Cathy's Art Diary

Varied exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society of work by members of the Royal Photographic Society showcasing international work. There was a real mix of subjects and techniques in this show many with intriguing stories. I loved this slightly surreal image by Kate Schultze which captures the moment the chimneys of Ferrybridge Power Station were demolished in 2021 as well as two images of young men one by Ryan O'Toole Collet and another by Peter Holliday. I think my favourite was this joyful image of a child with their eyes covered by hands with googly eyes by Hyunmin Ryu which made me smile. Closed 28 April 2026

Beautiful refurbishment of the Photography Centre at the Victoria and Albert Museum. At first look I felt that not a lot had changed as the first galleries, although rehung, don’t look that different but you then go through the door at the end and find four new rooms.   The first is a digital space which is currently showing a work by Jake Elwes analysing the effect of AI online on images of trans people. This then leads into a beautiful space for the Royal Photographic Society Library which has been donated to the museum and to highlight the role of books in photography. It includes a temporary display space which is currently showing books on photographing dogs so of course I loved it. The last two rooms are showing new acquisitions which contrast nicely with the refurbished 19th century rooms. Reviews Guardian Evening Standard  

Intriguing exhibition at the Science Museum organised by the Royal Photographic Society of prize winning science photographs. The show had some lovely quotes around the walls on science and looking including from Proust “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new lands but in seeing with new eyes”. A lot of these pictures illustrated this by taking pictures from new angles or using photographic techniques to show something which couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. There were some astonishing images such as the attached by Norm Baker of a collection of gall stones and Kym Cox’ picture of a close up of a soap bubble. I also loved Viktor Sykora’s close up of a stage beetle. My only criticism was why the room was so cold when I went! It would have been nice to linger a bit longer over some of the images but you had to keep moving to keep warm. Closes 5 January 2020

Fascinating exhibition at the Science Museum giving an overview of the history of photography and of the work of the Royal Photographic Society. I liked the fact this show concentrated on the images that were made rather than too much on the changing technology. The pictures were displayed cleverly to create gentle connections between images without labeling the point.   I particularly liked the wall where they had recreated an exhibition of the 1850s showing the dense way the pictures were hung and the mix of genres. I was amazed by the coloured pictures at the far end which looks like a girl on the beach in the 1970s. I was astonished to find they were actually taken in 1913! My favourite image, just because is was so quirky, was the contents of an ostriches stomach! You’d be amazed what it had eaten! Reviews Times Guardian Evening Standard

Interesting outdoor exhibition in the Royal Academy courtyard by the Royal Photographic Society to mark the International Year of Light. The show looked at how data can be displayed in different photographic formats. It defined light as “a wave moving through the electromagnetic field present throughout the universe” and talked about how we can use light of different wave lengths to exploit its ability to carry and record information.   OK I’ll admit I didn’t always understand the science but some of the images were fascinating and beautiful. My favourite picture was the one in the photograph which shows data from three space missions mapped onto globes. I also liked the x-ray picture of people kissing by Hugh Turney and of chocolate shells in an infrared heater.