Birmingham disability photography show looks at unique beauty

BBC News

01-03-2025

A photographer has set out to shine a light on physical disabilities and conditions in an exhibition now on at Birmingham City University.Yasmin Berrow, from Kidderminster, has returned to the university where she graduated as an artist-in-residence.The collection of 12 photographs, Sui Generis, which is Latin for "of its own kind", is on display until 5 March.The images focus on models' faces, with some looking at the camera and others looking away, which Berrow described as almost "confrontational".
The 23-year-old said she spent time talking to her models about their lives and their stories before she captured the image.One of the models began the process with two hearing aids and later went through cochlear implant surgery, a journey that Berrow witnessed.She said this journey had allowed her to connect with the model and the others she worked with on a personal level and gave her a deeper understanding of their characters, which informed her work.The series of portraits was taken over eight months.
Berrow was travelling in South East Asia for part of the time, where she said she met people, observed them as individuals, and thought about how many people there were in the world, while she learnt about their stories."It's important for people to see themselves represented in the media," she said. "But it's the unique traits of everyone that make their stories beautiful and interesting."I wanted to capture the unique beauty of each individual through my lens."The aim, she said, was to celebrate diversity and challenge stereotypes, particularly in the fashion and media industries.Berrow has until now specialised in portraits and fashion. Her current exploration of diversity has focused on faces for this exhibition. She plans to move on to whole body portraits in the future.
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