Venetia Dearden
Venetia Dearden’s close observations of friends and family relations have garnered considerable exposure since the publication of her first book, Somerset Stories, Five Penny Dreams in 2008. Her photographs often oscillate between the intimacies of friendship and kinship ties on the one hand and the wider landscape on the other, serving to contextualise her subjects and asking the viewer to reflect on the way life in the places she moves through.
Her published books, Somerset Stories, Five Penny Dreams (2004 – 2008), Glastonbury Another Stage (2003 – 2009) and her subsequent Eight Days (2010) project continue to be shown internationally.
Venetia’s academic background in Anthropology and Religious Studies combined with a Postgraduate Degree in Photojournalism from the London College of Printing have lead her seamlessly between the realms of Documentary and Fine Art photography in which her distinct aesthetic has received international acclaim. Her first solo show in London at the National Portrait Gallery (2010) and she was awarded the Vic Odden Award (2011) by the Royal Photographic Society for notable achievements in Photography in the UK.