UWE Bristol photography student exhibits in Paris after prestigious award win

14 October 2024

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A person sat cross legged on grass holding a taxidermy rat in each hand — © Alice Poyzer. Best Friends, 2024

A photography student at UWE Bristol has won a prestigious award that will see her photographs exhibited at the Grand Palais in Paris next month.

Alice Poyzer’s photography collection ‘Other Joys’ will also be included in a large-scale, public facing exhibition at the forecourt of Paris Gare de Lyon station, after her success in the Paris Photo Carte Blanche Student Award 2024.

The prestigious photography award, in which only four students are selected from more than 100 European universities and educational institutions each year, is designed to foster emerging student talent.

Alice, an MA Photography student in her final year at UWE Bristol, focuses her work predominantly on portraits and in particular using photography to communicate what the world is like through an autistic lens. Alice’s experiences as a female, neurodivergent practioner has inspired her award winning collection ‘Other Joys’ – a mixture of self-portraits and constructed imagery.

Alice said: “Other Joys is a body of work that explores the intense elation and enthusiasm of special interests, which are deep obsessions often found in people with autism. The images featured represent items or subjects that I, an autistic individual, love and cherish. The feeling that surrounds one's special interests is almost indescribable. This heavy sensation of warmth, delight and intense excitement is something that many in the autistic community can understand. I wanted to make this body of work as a way to communicate that feeling.

“It is an honour to receive the Carte Blanche Award, and I feel exceptionally fortunate that my work has been given this form of recognition. I hope my project brings to light the importance of autistic representation but most importantly inspires others to celebrate what makes them different.”

A woman stands in front of a staircase next to a taxidermy bear — © Alice Poyzer. Smart Casual.

Aaron Schuman, associate professor of Photography & Visual Culture at UWE Bristol said: “We are so proud of Alice for winning this incredibly prestigious and well-deserved award. Her uniquely personal and captivating work both informs and challenges audiences in ways that are compelling, playful and remarkably moving. We genuinely cannot wait to see her photographs on display at both the Grand Palais and Gare de Lyon in Paris this autumn, for all the world to experience.”

Other Joys will be exhibited at Paris Photo in the Grand Palais from 7-10 November and also at the forecourt of Paris Gare de Lyon station from 28 October – 30 November. For more information, visit: parisphoto.com/en-gb/program/2024/carte-blanche-students/Alice_POYZER.html

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