About
Clare Hewitt is a Photographer based in Birmingham, a Senior Lecturer in Photography at The University of the West of England, Bristol, and Archivist for Vanley Burke with Art360 Foundation and The Feeney Archive Project.
After completing a degree in Law at Oxford Brookes University, she went on to study Commercial Photography at the Arts University Bournemouth.
Clare’s practice often focusses on ideas relating to loneliness, isolation and collaboration. In Everything in the forest is the forest, she has worked with a community of 12 oak trees to visually understand how they thrive through connection and communication, to inspire similar behaviour amongst human beings. In her work in progress, Kamera, Clare exchanges letters with a prisoner on death row in Kentucky, including a landscape photograph with each letter sent. The images become part of his cell walls, and he responds with letters, stories, drawings and occasional photographs.
Clare’s work has been selected for awards including Magenta Foundation’s Flash Forward, the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain, the Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition, and inclusion in the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize exhibition. She was the recipient of the GRAIN Bursary Award 2019, and received a special mention in Krakow Photomonth’s ShowOFF 2022. Everything in the forest is theforest was selected to be exhibited at Landskrona Foto Festival, Sweden, in September 2022. Her work has also been exhibited at The Palace of Westminster, Midlands Arts Centre, The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Photographic Society and Library of Birmingham.
Clare’s clients include The New Yorker, Oxfam, Photoworks, Guardian Weekend Magazine, Save the Children, The Wire, New Statesman, BBC Radio 4, Vice, Apollo and The Independent Magazine.
Awards
2023 – FORMAT 23 Portfolio Awards – Reviewers Choice Award – Everything in the forest is the forest
2022 – Recipient of Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice funding
2022 – Landskrona Photo Festival 2022 Open Call Winner – Everything in the forest is the forest
2022 – Special Mention at Krakow Photomonth Festival’s ShowOFF 2022 Open Call – Everything in the forest is the forest
2021 – British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain exhibition finalist – Wren and her first sunflower
2021 – Shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition 163 – Miriam & Bill George
2019 – Recipient of the GRAIN Bursary Award 2019
2018 – Shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition 161 – Eugenie
2017 – British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain exhibition finalist – Portrait of Judith Kerr
2017 – Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Winner – Kamera
2016 – British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain exhibition finalist – Portrait of Eugenie
2016 – Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Winner – Eugenie
2013 – Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize (inclusion in exhibition) – National Portrait Gallery, London
2011 – Fresh Faced & Wild Eyed Finalist – The Photographers’ Gallery, London
Exhibitions
2022
Landskrona Foto Festival, Sweden – Everything in the forest is the forest
East Meets West Collective Group Exhibition, FORMAT Festival, Derby
British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain, nationwide throughout UK
2021
Trees for the Future Conference, University of Birmingham – Everything in the forest is the forest
Ikon for Artists, IKON Gallery, Birmingham
2019
Multiple Realities, Library of Birmingham
2018
Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition 161 – Touring exhibition
(including Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham + Royal Albert Hall, London)
209 Women, Portcullis House, Palace of Westminster, London + Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool
2017
British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain, nationwide throughout UK
2016
Magenta Foundation Flash Forward, Division Gallery, Toronto
British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain, nationwide throughout UK
2015
Portrait Salon – Embassy Tea Rooms Gallery, London
STARE – Four Corners Gallery, London (Curator & exhibitor)
2014
11.59 – Group exhibition – Old Truman Brewery, London
Portrait Salon – Four Corners Gallery, London
Over The Hill – Create Gallery, Brighton, as part of Brighton Photo Fringe
A Year In Development – Four Corners Gallery, London (Curator)
Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize – Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
2013
Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize – National Portrait Gallery, London
Portrait Salon – Four Corners Gallery, London
A Year In Development – Four Corners Gallery, London (Curator)
11.59 – Group exhibition – Margaret Street Gallery, London
2012
The Stare Show – Labyrinth Photographic Printing, London (Curator)
International Summer School of Photography 2012 Exhibition – Kuldiga Town Exhibition Hall, Latvia
Untold – 3Objectives, London (Curator)
A Year In Development – Four Corners Gallery, London (Curator)
2011
Fresh Faced and Wild Eyed – The Photographers’ Gallery
2010
Iris Photography Showcase, Maverik Showroom, London
Workshops
2021 / 22 – East Meets West Masterclass – FORMAT, GRAIN & Derby QUAD
2016/17 – Phillip Toledano – International Masterclass – Conceptualising the Personal – International Summer School of Photography, Latvia
2012 – Hellen van Meene’s Portraiture Workshop – International Summer School of Photography, Latvia
Teaching
Senior Lecturer in Photography at University of the West of England, Bristol (current)
Lecturer in Photography at Birmingham City University (2016 – 2021)
Visiting Lecturer at Weymouth College
Visiting Lecturer at Hereford College of Arts