Capturing and sharing emotional, dramatic, or everyday moments in life is the magic of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. A truly global affair, the prize celebrates the very best in contemporary photography, drawing on over 4,000 entries from 62 countries. Sharing work by celebrated professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike, the images selected for the exhibition share in their ability to move visitors.  The 2022 prize winning photographs examine a range of subjects – from queerness, transness and the concept of chosen family, socially distanced glimpses into daily lockdown life, to identity and life in former Soviet states. The variety of themes explored throughout the exhibition is matched by the high-quality, contemporary portraiture that reflects the shifting world of today.

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize made a welcome return to the Portrait and showcased 51 portraits from 36 artists, which included several famous faces, including footballer and activist Marcus Rashford and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. The winner of the 2022 Prize was Clémentine Schneidermann for the series Laundry Day. The socially distanced portraits of the series were taken during times of quarantine, self-isolation, and national lockdowns. In the words of the artist, they 'document micro events which deal with the passage of time through the small moments of our daily lives'.

Exhibition organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Image above: Frederic Aranda, Vogue House, 2022 © Frederic Aranda.