Wolf Suschitzky Photography Prize shortlisted artist Bex Day presents her series 'Children of Covid' at London's Offshoot Gallery this July. Combining 26 portraits of children with text written by the children or their parents and a film, Day’s series reflects on the impact of this period of social isolation.
Following the outbreak of the Coronavirus came an unprecedented change in the way we organise ourselves both daily and socially. People everywhere had to embrace this new version of normality. Children in particular were faced with the effects of an abrupt withdrawal from school, social life and outdoor activities.
In July of 2020, photographer Bex Day lived with a friend and her 2-year-old daughter, who had begun experiencing delays in speech development due to a lack of social interaction. This inspired Day to document how Covid-19 was impacting children during the formative ages of 4 to 13.
Children of Covid explores the effect of Covid-19 on the human psyche through the unique perspective of a child developing amid lockdown. Following her last series, Seesaw, Day decided to further transgress the bounds of documentary and fashion photography, moulding the means of each genre. Styled by Day and Adam Winder, the series merges surrealism with realism; aiming to evoke moments of the Covid-19 lockdown whilst merging it with staged locations chosen in part by the children.
The photographs come accompanied by text written by each child. Together, the photograph and text work to depict the alternative reality forced upon these children by the pandemic.
Children of Covid is currently shortlisted for the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Humanity Prize, Wolf Suschiztky Prize and the Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition 163.
The exhibition is sponsored by Blaze Image, The Graphical Tree, Desisto and it is partnered with charities Young Minds and Mind in Mind.
Curated by: Sandrine Servent at Mina Raven
Curatorial Assistant: Kiely Ward
Find out more about the exhibition and accompanying event programme HERE
