Alexandra Lethbridge

Photographer

Alexandra Lethbridge (born 1987)[1] is a Hong Kong-born conceptual artist working with photography and installation, living in the UK.[2] She self-published The Meteorite Hunter in 2014, work from which was exhibited at The Photographers' Gallery in London.[3] The Path of an Honest Man was exhibited at Format Festival in Derby[4] and work from Other Ways of Knowing exhibited at The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography in Moscow.[5]

## Early life and education

[edit]

Lethbridge was born in Hong Kong.[2] She studied at Winchester School of Art at the University of Southampton in the UK, and at the International Center of Photography in New York City. She earned a Masters in Photography from the University of Brighton in the UK.[6]

## Work

[edit]

"By leaving out information, changing the scale of an image or altering colours, Lethbridge's photos make the viewer pause to wonder what exactly is going on."[1]

The Meteorite Hunter "is an investigation into meteorites and the illusory realms they represent."[7] "Meteorite hunters search for treasures from space, pushing aside the terrestrial in a quest for the alien. Alexandra Lethbridge sees their work as a metaphor for how people are too often chasing the exotic at the expense of the familiar. [. . . ] The photo book documents the work of a fictional meteorite prospector and the stunning otherworldly locales her objects come from. [. . . ] But here's the twist. The pictures depict the wonders of earth and space, but you don't know what's what."[8]

Other Ways of Knowing "explores the notions of surprise and beguilement, creating a fantastical history that raises fascinating questions around how our perceptions can be guided, manipulated and fooled." "Lethbridge makes us think about the reliability of photography itself."[9]

The Path of an Honest Man "looks at the misaligment between communication and understanding".[4] The Archive of Gesture "utilises found images, still life photography and digital interventions to explore the role of gesture in communication".[10][11]

## Publications

[edit]

### Books of work by Lethbridge

[edit]

* The Meteorite Hunter. Self-published, 2014.[8][12]
* Second edition. Self-published, 2014. ISBN 978-0993139413.
* Third edition. Self-published, 2015. Edition of 150 copies. ISBN 978-0-9931394-2-0.

### Books with contributions by Lethbridge

[edit]

* Photography: the Key Concepts. Second, revised edition. Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire: Routledge. By David Bate. Hardback, 2016. ISBN 9780857854926. Paperback, 2016. ISBN 9781350107953.
* 1000 Words: 10 Years: 2008 – 2018. 1000 Words, 2018. ISSN 2631-486X.[13]
* Unique: Making Photographs in the Age of Ubiquity. Self-published, 2018. By Katherine Oktober Matthews. ISBN 978-94-93075-01-6.
* 209 Women. Liverpool: Bluecoat, 2019. ISBN 9781908457523.

## Exhibitions

[edit]

### Solo exhibitions

[edit]

* The Path of an Honest Man, Format Festival, Derby, 2018[4][14]
* The Construction of Truth, Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, Southampton, 2020[15]

### Group exhibitions

[edit]

* Mythopoesis, University of Brighton, Brighton, September 2014. University of Brighton MA Photography exhibition, included work from The Meteorite Hunter.[7]
* Fresh Faced + Wild Eyed, The Photographers' Gallery, London, May–June 2015. Included work from The Meteorite Hunter.[3]
* ING Unseen Talent Award: the Curator's Choice, The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography, Moscow. Work by the winner and 5 shortlisted photographers of the ING Unseen Talent Award, included Lethbridge's Other Ways of Knowing.[5][16]
* 209 Women, Portcullis House, Parliament of the United Kingdom, London, 2018/2019; Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool[17][18][19]

## Awards

[edit]

* 2015: A winner, Flash Forward: Emerging photographers, Magenta Foundation, Toronto, Canada[20]
* 2017: 1 of 5 shortlisted, ING Unseen Talent Award, from ING Group and Unseen Amsterdam.[21][22] "Each of the finalists created an artwork for the ING Collection".[23]
* 2017: A winner, Flash Forward: Emerging photographers, Magenta Foundation, Toronto, Canada[24]
* 2021: Winner, Spotlight Award, Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, UK, for The Archive of Gesture. A £2000 prize.[10]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "The scale of the unknown: an interview with Alexandra Lethbridge". GUP Magazine. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
2. ^ a b "Alexandra Lethbridge". Firecracker. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
3. ^ a b "Flash forward: the rising stars of British photography – in pictures". The Guardian. 16 June 2015. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
4. ^ a b c "Format Festival returns to Derby, UK from 15 March-14 April". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
5. ^ a b "Unseen Talents pop up in Moscow". ING. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
6. ^ "About". Alexandra Lethbridge. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
7. ^ a b "Mythopoesis: An exhibition by Photography graduates from Brighton University". The Daily Telegraph. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
8. ^ a b "There's a Fine Line Between Gift-Shop Rocks and Meteorites". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
9. ^ "Redefined Possibilities". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
10. ^ a b "Alexandra Lethbridge has been named the winner of the Belfast Photo Festival 2021 Spotlight Award". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
11. ^ "The Archive of Gesture Alexandra Lethbridge". yogurtmagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
12. ^ "Source: Graduate Photography Online - 2014 - University of Brighton - MA Photography". Source (photography magazine). Retrieved 2021-03-30.
13. ^ "1000 Words 10 Years - the respected online photography magazine goes into print". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
14. ^ "The Path of an Honest Man". Format Festival. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
15. ^ "The Construction of Truth". Hampshire Cultural Trust. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
16. ^ "ING Unseen Talent Award: the Curator's Choice 31 May - 3 June". photobookfest.com. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
17. ^ "Photographers". 209 Women. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
18. ^ "Female MPs by female photographers - the 209 Women project". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
19. ^ "Open Eye Gallery – 209 Women". Open Eye Gallery. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
20. ^ "Flash Forward 2015". Magenta Foundation. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
21. ^ "Awards: Five finalists for the ING Unseen Talent Award 2017". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
22. ^ "Andrea Grützner Wins $11.8K ING Unseen Talent Award". Photo District News. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
23. ^ "Andrea Grützner wins the ING Unseen Talent Award and €10,000". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
24. ^ "Flash Forward 2017". Magenta Foundation. Retrieved 2021-04-07.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany