UK’s finest emerging photographers take centre stage at Brighton exhibition

The annual exhibition provides a platform to spotlight ten of the most promising graduates from leading photography courses across the country. Opening on Wednesday 22 October and running until Thursday 30 October, the exhibition revives a celebrated collaboration between Crane Kalman Brighton – a leading photography gallery in the city – and the University of Brighton, providing visibility for the UK’s top photography talent.

Hosted at the University of Brighton’s Edward Street building at City campus, the showcase not only celebrates the creative achievements of the graduates but also underscores Brighton’s reputation as a hub for visual culture and a champion of new talent entering the professional arts landscape.

Among the artists exhibiting at this year’s show is University of Brighton Photography BA(Hons) graduate, Anna Warin, who uses their lens to highlight queer and trans issues. As a non-binary person, Anna’s identity strongly influences their work as they have previously explored their own relationship with transness through self-portraiture, examining both their experiences of binding and top surgery in the UK.

Image by Anna Warin

Image by Jess Bootes

Anna’s work 'Profit of Pain' has already garnered the attention of critics at Free Range earlier in July. It was also selected for the Open Doors Gallery Top Ten as well as the Photoworks’ Top Ten, out of all exhibiting artists across 10 UK universities.

Anna said: “It’s such an exciting opportunity to be selected as part of the CREAM 2025 graduate photography showcase. This work is deeply personal to me and highlights an issue I am closely related to. To be able to have developed it over the course of my time on the University of Brighton Photography BA(Hons), makes me very proud. And I believe that being featured in this exhibition alongside such incredible photographers, will pave the way for bigger things in my career.”

This year’s showcase includes a curatorial internship developed with the aim of providing opportunities for Brighton graduates to gain professional experience which is both paid and immersive enough to shape their creative careers in the future.

Rachel Gillies, Senior Lecturer in Photography at the University of Brighton’s School of Art and Media, developed the internship.

She said: “It’s so important that there are opportunities for students to both see exhibitions that are achievable next steps and to gain tangible work experience. We’re incredibly proud to be working with Crane Kalman Brighton and to be making this happen alongside our photography courses in Brighton.”

The exhibition is free and will be open to the public from the 22–25 October and the 27–30 October 2025. (10am–5pm daily, 12–4pm Saturday) at the University of Brighton, 154–155 Edward Street, Brighton, BN2 OJG. For more information, visit the CREAM 2025 webpage.

Image by Jiho Lee

Image by Esme Scott

The full list of exhibiting artists includes:

• Anna Warin - University of Brighton
• Ellie Applegate - Bath Spa University
• Chantelle Melody - University of Hertfordshire
• Jess Bootes - Canterbury Christ Church University
• Matthew Chapman - UCA Farnham
• Kieran Dunning - Edinburgh Napier University
• Julia Klisiewicz - Falmouth University
• Jiho Lee – Goldsmiths, University of London
• Ame Rowley-Evans - Bath Spa University
• Esmé Scott - Falmouth University