New portraits that reflect the changing face of Britain

Not satisfied being confined to the four walls of a gallery space, the British Journal of Photography, in conjunction with JCDecaux, has taken to Britain’s streets to install 100 portraits that reflect the multifaceted nature of the country, titled Portrait of Britain.

“Public art works well when it engages with its surroundings and local population,” explained the BJP’s editorial director Simon Bainbridge, in the press release. “That’s what we wanted to do with Portrait of Britain. We wanted to show diversity in terms of who is being photographed, but we also wanted to see different ways of photographing. These are pictures that we all take in everyday life, but raised to a higher level by selecting, editing and presenting them in such a wide-ranging public exhibition.”

While the images are said to reflect a range of photographic styles (posed, candid, analogue, digital, colour, black and white), a unifying theme to them is that of ‘home’ – poignant given current political issues like immigration and the lingering uncertainty of a post-Brexit Britain.

The portraits also reflect a new wave of young photographers, such as Francesca Allen, Adama Jalloh and Tom Johnson turning their lens on everyday Brits as well as homegrown cultural icons such as MCs Stormzy and Lil Simz.

View or buy the portraits here or find them displayed across digital screens in rail, retail, and roadside locations nationwide until 30 September 2016