Michael Alberry (b. England, 1992)

Bio

Graduated from Documentary Photography at the University of South Wales, Newport in 2014.
My work explores community dynamics, emphasising my ideas on themes of ritual and spirituality in contemporary society.
In 2012 I began photographing family life in the constantly changing home interiors of a community of Slovakian Roma living in Newport, which was compiled in my self-published book, Forest, My Father in 2013. Was selected as one of Magnum Photos’ ‘30 under 30’ photographers for the series in 2014.
Currently, my work concerns the changing modes of spirituality and religious ritual in the UK’s church community. As Christianity attempts to adapt and recontextualize itself in an increasingly secular society, the series Me… My Cup shows the changing interiors of traditional churches; and in the series A Time to Dance, depicts the emergence of media and technology in the worship of the UK’s growing Pentecostal denomination.
I am based in Swanage, South England.

Education

2011 / 2014 – BA (Hons) Documentary Photography at University of Wales, Newport under Paul Reas, Lisa Barnard, Clive Landen, Ken Grant

2009 / 2011 – Art and Design at Arts University College, Bournemouth

Exhibitions

2014
Selected as one of Magnum Photos “30 Under 30” Photographers for the series Forest, My Father. Exhibition held at The Photography Show 2014, NEC Birmingham

BRIRISH, exhibition of British and Irish Photography at the Cantieri Culturali della Zisa, Palermo, Italy – group show with Ken Grant, Paul Cabuts, Shane Lynam, Alexander Norton, Luke Boland, and Fergus Heron

Participant in the Indepedent A.I.R. residency and exhibition in Silkeborg, Denmark as a member of the Independent A.I.R. team

Young Photographers 2014, Fine Art Galerie, Traismauer, Austria

We Are This graduation show 2014, Jacobs Market, Cardiff

Presentation and talk of A Time to Dance series at the We Are This publication launch ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ with Miniclick Photography talks, Hackney Picture House, London

Chosen to photograph where David Hurn had photographed for the Magnum Open For Business project. Part of the exhibition at University of South Wales, Newport

2013
Participant in the Indepedent A.I.R. residency and exhibition in Silkeborg, Denmark

2012
Mustering Ground multimedia piece screened at Slideluck Potshow, Dublin https://vimeo.com/44551888

Publications/Articles

2014
A Time to Dance featured in British Journal of Photography, ‘Class of 2014’, August 2014

A Time to Dance series featured on It’s Nice That August 2014

We Are This graduate publication, July 2014