From the 6 to 9 February, Bradford Young Curators embarked on a three-day research trip, exploring London’s galleries in preparation for our upcoming curatorial takeover of Impressions Gallery for Bradford UK City of Culture 2025. This trip was an amazing opportunity to immerse ourselves in different curatorial styles, drawing inspiration from how major galleries bring photography to life in their exhibitions.

Our first stop was Two Temple Place. Nested within this neo-Gothic mansion-turned-art gallery, Lives Less Ordinary: Working-Class Britain Re-Seen explored the rich diversity of working-class life. Embracing both pride and vulnerability, the work in this exhibition reflected a wide spectrum of experiences and identities.

Pastel-coloured, pop-up walls stood in contrast to the 17th-century woodwork walls. The juxtaposition of intricate grandeur and bold fun colours was especially striking on the top floor, where stained glass illuminates the exhibition space. One of the most engaging aspects of the curation was the way the exhibition made use of liminal spaces; art pieces were integrated everywhere, including the staircase. This encouraged movement and interaction between the floors and artworks.

Movement as a curatorial tool was also central to Letizia Battaglia: Life, Love and Death in Sicily at The Photographers’ Gallery. On the top floor, Battaglia’s documentary photographs were hung in a linear style, at eye level, encouraging visitors to step into the narrative of Sicilian life and work their way around the room. Downstairs, the curation took a different approach; images were suspended from the ceiling in rows with wide gaps between each photo, allowing visitors to create their own path and weave through the work.

One of the most interesting curatorial choices we came across was an intentional empty space where a central photo might have been. This absence opened up sightlines, allowing new views of the work to take shape as we moved through the room.

While at the gallery, we had the opportunity to hear from curator Karen McQuaid, who shared insights on working with artists’ estates, the complexities of exhibition planning, and the importance of audience engagement. She highlighted the need to balance the artist, visitor, and gallery as a curator – knowledge that we will use to shape the development of our own exhibition planning and execution.

On Friday morning, we visited Tate Britain for The 80s: Photographing Britain. This exhibition was a walk-through of the protest, politics and culture which defined the decade.One of our mentors, photo-archivist Brian Liddy, explained how this exhibition engaged with the history of photography, particularly the evolving role of colour photography.

A section about semiotics stood out to me; how the interplay of text and imagery can work together to create a narrative. This was illustrated in separate works by Paul Seawright and Karen Knorr, who responded to photo theorist, Victor Burgin’s ideas on how text mediates our interpretation of images. This is something to consider as we write our own interpretations and introductory boards.

The exhibition’s curatorial approach also played with structure. Photography was often arranged in slightly irregular compositions, evoking a sense of unease reflective of the political and cultural tensions of the time. A particularly powerful example was a collage of photographs and magazine covers from the late ’80s club scene. The non-uniform display mirrored the vibrant and expressive energy of the pictures. Later we will hear from curator Helen Little about her curatorial practice and experience curating this exhibition.

After this, we visited Autograph, a gallery which hosted Abi Morocco Photos: Spirit of Lagos. What stood out to me was how the atmosphere of the space could be shaped through music. A curated playlist, accessible via QR codes, featured songs that were both relaxing and reflective of Lagos’ culture, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the experience.

This exhibition included passport photos and old cameras in display cases. Personal objects can be a powerful tool for reflection. We were particularly inspired by this, as in our exhibition, we’re keen to uncover familial narratives and microhistories by exploring Bradford’s past and present.

The final gallery we visited on Friday was Tate Modern, where we saw Mire Lee: Open Wound, the latest Hyundai Commission. This installation transformed the space into an eerie, immersive environment, using sound to immerse audiences in a way that was the polar opposite of Autograph. Rope and skin-coloured fabric draped over metal structures interacted with water which echoed throughout the old turbine hall to create an uncanny, almost grotesque atmosphere.

Saturday morning, we visited Huxley-Parlour Gallery, which featured Paul Graham: Troubled Land. Unlike the Tate Britain exhibition, which also included work by Graham, this commercial gallery took a more linear approach to its curation, allowing us to consider how different contexts shape the display of photography.

Our last stop of the trip was to the National Portrait Gallery, where we saw the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize. Since we are commissioning family portraits from five photographers for our exhibition, this collection was particularly captivating to see how curators engage with portraits. The curatorial choice that stood out was the People’s Pick, an audience-voted favourite, which actively engaged visitors to take part in the selection process.

Throughout this trip, we explored a wide range of curatorial techniques, from playful use of colour and movement to immersive soundscapes and interactive audience engagement. Each exhibition offered something new to consider as we shape our own curatorial vision for Impressions Gallery. More than anything, this trip reinforced how powerful photography can be in telling such a wide array of stories.

Blog post by Bradford Young Curator, Mia Wilson.

Photographs by Mia Wilson, Anne McNeill and Daniella Gott.