Sep 2025
New Focus: Bradford Young Curators
Ten young people curate a major exhibition at Impressions Gallery.
Ten young people are curating a major photography exhibition at Impressions Gallery – and creating Bradford’s biggest digital family album.
New Focus: Bradford Young Curators is part of Impressions Gallery’s award-winning New Focus programme, which supports young people aged 18–25 to gain the knowledge and skills they need to become the creatives of the future. The Bradford Young Curators will benefit from workshops and mentoring from some of the UK’s leading photography experts and creative professionals.
The heart of this 18-month programme is the handover of curatorial control from Impressions Gallery to the group, who are commissioning new work by five cutting-edge photographers from Bradford and beyond for a new exhibition. The collective will also go out into communities around the District to unearth Bradford’s cherished family photos and preserve the stories behind them, creating an online family album that will serve as a powerful tribute to the people and communities of Bradford.
New Focus photography commissions
In collaboration with the team at Impressions Gallery, young people’s collective New Focus have selected five photographers to capture a portrait of contemporary Bradford. These commissions are a key element of the gallery’s landmark projects for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. The resulting work will be showcased in an exhibition that explores Bradford’s rich multicultural history, opening in September 2025.
To learn more about the Young Curators, check out one of the members’ blogs detailing their recent trip to London.
Image: Members of New Focus: Bradford Young Curators (L-R): Mia Wilson, Amina Ahmed, Keyhan Modaressi Chahardehi, Zarah Ashraf, Lauren Waldron, Louie Haslam-Chance. © Arooj Din, courtesy Impressions Gallery.
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