Open Salon exhibition at The Viewfinder Gallery, Greenwich, welcomes all to photography (From News Shopper)

Open Salon exhibition at The Viewfinder Gallery, Greenwich, welcomes all to photography

4:32pm Tuesday 13th January 2009

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The Viewfinder Gallery’s Open Salon invites any photographer to submit work in the hope of putting new talent in the picture. Kerry Ann Eustice takes a look.

A few out-of-focus, although extremely charming, snaps aside, with no prior research you’d never know the Viewfinder Gallery’s Open Salon show was comprised from the work of amateurs and beginners as well as professional photographers.

Hoping to raise funds to sustain the venue and put new photography talent in the picture, the Greenwich gallery has revived the Open Salon exhibition after a two year break. For Open Salon, last hung in 2006, Viewfinder invites submissions of any subject from photographers of any level.

The result sees the space filled with an almost impossibly diverse collection of images.

There’s a disconcertingly, chocolate-box perfect suburban semi, a portrait depicting a midriff instead of a face, a child in a forest seen in gothic sepia tones, a snap showing a shelf of bargain biscuits, polaroids of glass eyes and secret woodland views and plenty of pet, family and landscape pics. One thing’s for sure, it’s a fascinating display of creativity and ideas.

“The Open Salon is a celebration of local talent,” said curator Louise Forrester. “It can be really hard for artists to find gallery space for work and this is an affordable and exciting opportunity.”

A healthy portion of the work — 150 pieces were submitted — are from non-professionals, something Louise feels is helped by the fact the gallery is the only London photography venue which doesn’t ask for CVs and the fact it allows email submissions too.

“Viewfinder always aims to promote interesting work by anybody, regardless of their background,” she said.

It’s an all-inclusive policy which has had little affect on the quality.

The standard of work is high and Louise has already earmarked a couple of participants for group exhibitions this year.

“I really enjoy knowing that some photographs which look like they might be by professionals are by people who’ve had to search their iPhoto libraries to enter. The diversity of work is brilliant.”

Open Salon at the Viewfinder Gallery, Peyton Place, Greenwich, until Feb 1.

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