The Long Gallery - Collektive Exposure's 'Economic Human'

Collektive Exposure are turning out to be a prolific group of exhibitors - this is the third show of their work that I've seen in the brief time that they've worked together and I know of at least one more in the pipeline for the coming months. Dedication to producing shows at The Public in West Bromwich, Fotophilia in Birmingham and now at the University's Long Gallery demonstrate their understanding of the potential of the medium to convey meaning and their desire to share it with as wide an audience as possible. And there's nothing like seeing the success of others to inspire students at the University to want a taste of that success for themselves.

I particularly appreciate the way Collektive adapt their approach to meet the demands and constraints placed on them. No money for frames? No worries, the curatorial decision is taken that they'll pin the work, as they did in their Fotophila exhibition - 'Freedom and Control'. Indeed the pinning has been carried through to their Long Gallery exhibition, 'Economic Human', with the work neatly held in place with tacks inside more traditional frames. A nod to convention whilst keeping things current.

Pin Appreciation

Amongst the highlights of the 'Economic Human' exhibition is Alice Jones' almost forensic examination of the traces her existence leaves on the world. The black and white prints transform every innocuous mark to a blood stain, every hair or fibre becomes vital proof of life, with the very fact of it being recorded photographically serving to elevate it out of the every-day.

Katherine Bell's alternative printing method produces a variety of comments on the state of the 'little woman in the kitchen' stereotype. The fragmented images become more evocative the longer they are studied - are these images weathered through the effect of time, gradually wearing away like the stereotype? Or is the fact that even these fragments of the stereotypical domestic arrangement remain a testament to the tenacity that cliché has? Perhaps more interesting is the way the mind automatically fills in the missing part of the pictures, underlining just how engrained in our consciousness those images are.

Taking photographs in the Long Gallery is tricky because of the many reflections, but here are some images of the show. To name-check all of the members of the collective would take up half a page, so for more detailed information about each of the artists and to see more of their work visit http://www.collektive-exposure.com/.

From Katherine Bell's Life's Impressions series

From Nic Todd's Human Presence series

Alice Jones' A Fragmented Self

From Nigal Goodship's Self Portrait 2010 series