John Ferguson: An eye for Life

This FREE to view exhibition is a celebration of John Ferguson’s photographic career through the themes of portraiture, identity and home.

John Ferguson is an internationally established documentary, lifestyle, and portrait photographer who lives in Ipswich. His images tell stories, which are approachable, intimate, and unaffected.

It showcases portrait projects that he has worked on over the years, visiting some 60 countries and covering a diverse range of photo stories from conflict zones and national disasters to promotional campaigns focusing on poverty, refugees and rural loneliness.

It also presents portrait projects that John has worked on over the years, now with the addition of these images of female ‘ Suffolk Creatives’ from a new project funded by Arts Council England. Subjects include the award-winning multi-disciplinary artist, writer and composer-musician Dide; the artists and painters Georgina Barclay, Samantha Barnes, Edwina Longe, Sahara Longe and Emma Withers; Juliet Gilkes Romero, journalist and award winning writer for stage and screen; artist, sculptor and printmaker Jennifer Hall; Lilly Hammond, illustrator and designer; Alice Hawkins, artist-photographer; and the self-taught taxidermist Hannah Debnam. 

He has photographed countless celebrities from Dolly Parton to Beyonce and in 2005 photographed 50 black British pioneers for the Black Britannia project, collected by the National Portrait Gallery.

This is the first exhibition to explore John’s career and photography projects in Suffolk.

On Saturday 25 January from 2pm to 3.30pm, an ‘In conversation with John Ferguson’ drop-in event will be held at the Wolsey Art Gallery.

Admission to the exhibition is FREE.