Polly Braden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Polly Braden (born 1974)[1] is a Scottish documentary photographer, living in London.[2][3] Her work on learning disabilities and autism has been shown in exhibitions at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford[4] and at mac, Birmingham.[5] Her work on single parent families has been shown in exhibitions at the Museum of the Home in London and Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool.[6] Braden won Photographer of the Year in the Guardian Student Media Award in 2002.[7]
Braden was born in Perthshire, Scotland. She graduated from London College of Printing in 2003.[1] She lives in London[2] and is a single parent.[8]
Her subjects have included China[9] (where she lived for over 15 years),[1] the City of London,[10][11] single parent families,[8][6] and learning disabilities and autism.[12]
Polly Braden’s Leaving Ukraine is a photography and film project that intimately documents the lives of women and children uprooted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in February 2022.[13]
Publications
Books of work by Braden
- China Between. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2010. ISBN 978-1-904587-88-0. With essays by David Campany and Jennifer Higgie.
- Great Interactions: Life with Learning Disabilities and Autism. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2016. ISBN 978-1-907893-86-5. With an interview by David Campany and an afterword by Sophie Howarth.
- London Square Mile: a Secret City. Tales from the City: Book 8. Hoxton Mini, 2019. ISBN 978-1-910566-44-2. With an essay by David Kynaston.[14]
Books with one other
- Adventures in the Lea Valley. East London Photo Stories: Book 12. Hoxton Mini, 2016. With David Campany. ISBN 978-1-910566-12-1.[15]
- Out of the Shadows: the untold story of people with autism or learning disabilities. Stockport: Dewi Lewis; West Bromwich: Multistory, 2018. With seven stories by Sally Williams and three first-hand accounts. ISBN 978-1-911306-36-8.
- A Place For Me: 50 Stories of Finding Home. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2022. With Sally Williams. ISBN 978-1-911306-83-2.
Books with contributions by Braden
- Street Photography Now. London: Thames & Hudson, 2010. ISBN 978-0-500-54393-1 (hardback). London: Thames & Hudson, 2011. ISBN 978-0-500-28907-5 (paperback). Edited by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren. Includes work by Braden made in China.
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions and similar
- Great Interactions: Photographs by Polly Braden, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, 2016[4][16]
- Polly Braden & Sally Williams: Out of the Shadows: the untold story of people with autism or learning disabilities, mac, Birmingham, 2018[5]
- Holding The Baby, Museum of the Home, London, 2021; Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, 2021. With text by Claire-Louise Bennett and Sally Williams.[6][17]
- Holding The Baby, Arnolfini, Bristol, 2022
- Leaving Ukraine, Foundling Museum, London, 2024[18]
Group exhibitions
- Real Estate: Art in a Changing City, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 2005 included Adventures in the Valley (Ongoing) with Campany[19]
- Made in China, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, 2006[20]
- London Street Photography: 1860–2010, Museum of London, London, 2011[21]
Awards
- 2002: Winner, Photographer of the Year, Guardian Student Media Award[7]
