British Journal of Photography #7920

This edition of British Journal of Photography spotlights the artists, stories, and moments that reveal the intimacy and complexity of portraiture. Meet the winners of Portrait of Humanity: Camille Gharbi, Seif Kousmate, and Andrés Mario de Varona, whose series delve into themes of vulnerability, connection, and the intricate dynamics between artist and subject.

Explore Daniel Mebarek’s Foto Gratis studio in Bolivia, Jet Swan’s reimagining of imperfection, and Amak Mahmoodian’s reflections on Iranian identity, alongside Akram Zaatari’s revival of Studio Shehrazade’s archives in Lebanon.

The Agenda is packed with global exhibitions, from the Chennai Photo Biennale to Photo Phnom Penh, while Projects explore personal narratives and conflict zones, from Iraq’s marshes to Ukraine’s realities. The Intelligence section celebrates trailblazers like Paul Lowe and fresh voices like Adama Jalloh.

It takes up most of our waking hours and yet it’s seldom depicted – Work. This new edition of BJP explores the topic from multiple angles: How do photographers make a living? Which curators are preserving our 20th-century industrial history? And how does medical, agricultural and labour imagery operate in both professional and artistic spheres?

Hear from artists Kadir van Lohuizen, Samar Hazboun and Christina Fernandez in our in-depth artist features, plus learn about maintaining archives of work from the Martin Parr Foundation’s Isaac Blease, Fondazione MAST’s Urs Stahel, and Luciano Zuccaccia, whose Protest in Photobook library exceeds 700 anti-establishment volumes.

As ever, our writers preview this season’s most important institutional shows, including Tate Britain’s huge survey of 80s photography in Britain, while we also count down to Paris Photo, celebrate 10 years of Loose Joints photobooks, and spend a lazy afternoon with Jenny Matthews in east London.