Photo Oxford 2023 launches at Gees Gallery!

Excitement ensues as Photo Oxford 2023 launches at the newly refurbished Gees Gallery, marking the start of the biennale festival celebrating the art of photography through exhibitions, workshops, talks and events.

Gees Gallery hosted the festival launch last Friday 14^th April – the perfect setting to captivate photography enthusiasts and art lovers alike. Gees tapas, wine and sangria to boot…

View, share and download the photographs here.

Sir Brian Pomeroy, a long-standing Photo Oxford Trustee, set the launch party in motion with a brief welcome and thank you followed by Photo Oxford’s Artistic Director Alex Schneideman.

Running now until 6th May, this year’s theme, ‘The Hidden Power of the Archive’, examines photography from its beginnings to contemporary discussions around race, identity, sexuality and what it means to belong, taking on the history of photography and engaging with the future of the medium too.

We’re proudly hosting two exhibitions across The Oxford Collection this year…

In Gees Gallery, we have Jenny Matthews’ ‘Losing Freedom – A Tribute to Afghan Women’, an exhibition that honours and recognises their recent loss of freedom through powerful photography and embroidery. Jenny is an internationally published documentary photographer and filmmaker. Learn more about her Photo Oxford exhibition here.

Photo Oxford Trustee and photographer Joanna Vestey shares: “Drawing on the history of women sewing, Jenny’s beautiful embroidered photographs of Afghan women, each dedicated to a specific group such as teachers and health workers, subtly invite consideration of the current impossible situations so many face in their country.  Photo Oxford are delighted to be showing this work and are grateful to the fantastic team at Gees who are showcasing it in their meticulously renovated new gallery space.”

Gees’ exhibition is open daily, from 9 am – 12 pm & 4 pm – 6 pm. For other times, please call Gees on 01865 553 540. Do come along and have a look for yourself, and perhaps stay for lunch…

Find us at 61-63 Banbury Rd, OX2 6PE.

“We’ve always envisioned this for Gees Gallery…” said Jeremy at the launch party, “…a place to eat, drink, have fun and admire art in this space, and what a way to do it with Jenny’s colourful, vibrant and thought-provoking photographs… thank you, Jenny. Seeing the Gallery with you all here tonight is the culmination of a long-term project of ours, kicking off a new era within The Oxford Collection. This is a bit of an experiment for us, being our first exhibition launch in the Gallery, so thank you to Photo Oxford for making this all possible.”

Danielle Battigelli, Festival Director, said “Everything looked wonderful, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the drinks and snacks were delicious, your staff were very friendly and helpful, and the exhibition looked great thanks to Gino’s team. The perfect location for our Launch and it felt like there were many happy people there.” She continues, “The Oxford Collection, with its record of significant support for the arts in Oxford, has been a valued Partner of Photo Oxford for many years and we are delighted to once again have our artists exhibiting within their spaces.”

To find out more about hiring Gees Gallery as a private venue, click here.

Whilst this is our first year hosting Photo Oxford in Gees Gallery, it is potentially our last in the Medieval Barn as we expect to see exciting renovations sometime this year… So, be sure to pass by during the festival to see it in full splendour before we draw the curtains for a short while! Hint: there’s a spa on the way…

In our Medieval Barn behind the Old Bank Hotel, we have ‘My Father’s Things’, showcasing the works of Oxford-born Wendy Aldiss who has used photography to document the life and possessions of her father Brian Aldiss, providing a unique insight into his character.

Old Bank’s exhibition is open from Thursday to Sunday, from 12 pm – 5 pm. Find us at 92-94 High Street Oxford OX1 4BJ.