ARTIST STATEMENT
Polly Tootal’s photography has emerged out of a continual exploration of the possibilities of space between a variety of extremes; theatre/reality, the contemporary world mirroring history, transience/permanence, the bizarre in the banal.
Tootal’s ongoing topographic project Somewhere In England began in 2010 and is an exploration of undisclosed, anonymous landscapes in the U.K. Shooting mainly at dawn or twilight, these public places devoid of people appear otherworldly. Within the images she attempts to present a cultural critique on contemporary social issues whilst highlighting the idiosyncrasies of public space and illuminating the non-descript landscape in these large-scale works.
Concerned with how contemporary geopolitics restrict and displace different societal groups due to poverty and injustice - her work focuses on liminal zones, the outskirts of cities where urban and infrastructure meet, highlighting the chaos and control that power forces upon populations and the environment.
BIO
Polly Tootal has lived and worked in London since graduating from the University of Brighton, having studied Editorial Photography under Magnum photographer Mark Power. She presents regularly in solo exhibitions, group shows, and at art fairs throughout Britain and Europe. Notably, she exhibited at the Palazzo Rialto as part of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2014 and Ville D’Hyeres, France 2015. Prints of her work are held in private collections in the USA, Europe, and the UK.
AWARDS
2021 - Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition 163 - Shortlist
2020 - PH Museum Top Projects
2019 - Premier Prix Maison Blanche Award - Winner
2019 - Voies Off Awards, Arles, France - Finalist
2019 - Kuala Lumpur International Photography Awards - Finalist
2019 - Lens Culture Street Photography Awards - Finalist and Jurors Pick
2015 - Prix Du Public Ville D’Hyeres Photographie - Public Award
2010 - Association of Photographers Assistants Award - Landscape Series Winner
EXHIBITIONS
2020 - Mass Collective, Urban Identities, Virtual Exhibition
2019 - Photo Marseille, Maison Blanche, France
2019 - Voies Off, Arles, France
2019 - Rencontres De La Photographie de Marrakech, Morocco
2018 - One Contemporary, Venice, Italy
2017 - Kestle Barton & Arts Council England, Cornwall, UK
2017 - Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam, Netherlands
2016 - Fotofever, Paris, France
2016 - Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam, Netherlands
2016 - South Kiosk, London
2016 - Galerie Intervalle, Solo show, Paris, France
2015 - Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam, Netherlands
2015 - Hyeres Photography Festival, Villa Noailles, France
2014 - One Contemporary, Architectural Biennale, Venice, Italy
2014 - Bulgarian Embassy, Group show, London
2011 - Higher Pitch, Group show, London
2009 - Southbank Centre & Hayward Touring Exhibition, Dorset
PUBLICATIONS
Wordt Vervolgd
Courrier International
Sixty Six Magazine
GUP Magazine
Icon Magazine
Creative Review - Exposure, Gem Fletcher GUP magazine
Guardian Online, UK
Madame Figaro Magazine
Les Recontres Philosophiques De Monaco
Alvar Magazine
LVMH Magazine
Exit Magazine
Artsy Editorial
Unseen Magazine, Netherlands
The Fashion Post, Japan
Air France Magazine, France
Regards Magazine, France
Creative Boom Online, UK
Volkskrant Magazine, Netherlands
