Running from January — February
‘A Balkan Journey’ by Chris Leslie is the forefather of his photographic career. In 1996, Leslie, then a young politics graduate, decided to volunteer with a small NGO. One of his tasks: to run black & white photography classes for children, a serendipitous moment that kickstarted his now well-regarded creative endeavours (See ‘Disappearing Glasgow’). There are clear parallels between these disparate works. The Balkan images not only give us insight into his journey as a photographer, but also into the lives and stories that drive and underpin his practice; what Leslie seeks to lay bare through engaging with photography, what impact generational traumas and the political hangovers from horrendous conflicts can have on communities—what it takes to rebuild a nation and restore civilian life after massive displacement and destruction.
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