Portraiture emerged as one of the most prominent genres of depictive media early in the history of the visual arts; tacit or explicit rules, conventions and cultural expectations have always influenced the ways in which artists approached the genre. Photography is no exception. Numerous different and characteristic styles of portraiture emerged throughout the history of the medium. We usually assume that faces are necessary components of portraiture; we may, however, learn just as much about the character, the personality of a person by looking at images that depict other parts of their bodies, show us the objects or places associated with them. Not focusing on the face may open up a new dimension of interpretation. Our Portraits Beyond Faces exhibition is dedicated to this challenging divergence from the more conventional approaches to the genre. PH21 Gallery invites photographers to submit their work for our group exhibition themed Portraits Beyond Faces. We welcome submissions from all photographers interested in this theme, providing them with an opportunity to share their work with a broader international audience through the exposure offered by PH21 Gallery. The theme is broadly defined, and we are interested in all kinds of portraits that characterise persons without focusing on the depiction of their faces.
