‘Hope.Despair. Miracles.’, a new project by Mexican-British social documentary photographer Roxana Allison, introduces the exceptional community change-makers devoted to genuinely improving people’s lives in Longsight: a working-class area in Southeast Manchester rich in ethnic diversity, yet long-associated – sometimes unfairly – with its complex social issues.
The portraits, landscapes and written word invite us to recognise the agents of change making a real difference in multicultural working-class neighbourhoods across the UK – reminding us to never judge a book, or a place, by its front cover.
In a post-Brexit UK and post-Covid world that is enduring a cost-of-living crisis, ‘Hope. Despair. Miracles.’ aims to inspire by showing that people-led change is achievable through the power of togetherness. To remain hopeful, the images also invite us to find beauty in the ordinary and shift our focus onto the small wins, those that happen within our own sphere and in our everyday life. These wins, in the face of great odds, can seem like miracles.
Roxana Allison is one of this year’s winning artists of The British Journal of Photography Portrait of Britain Vol. 6 (2023) and was one of the 24 female photographers selected to take part in the Trace Mentorship Programme 2022-23.
To learn more about the project read Allison’s recent interview with The Double Negative here.
Further Information
Preview: 25 January 2024 – 6 pm to 8 pm / No booking required / Everyone welcome
Date: 27 January – 20 April 2024
Price: Free
Location: The Lauriston Gallery, Waterside Arts, 1 Waterside Plaza, Sale, Trafford, Manchester, M33 7ZF
Tram stop – Sale
FREE
For more information on this exhibition, visit Waterside Arts website here
Find out more about Roxana and her work here.
Photo credit: ©Roxana Allison