Photo Oxford had extended an invitation via Oxford International Links to the eight cities twinned with Oxford to submit photographs for inclusion in the 2020 festival. They were asked to engage with the theme of the event. We were then asked to curate an exhibition which would showcase the work of each of the eight cities.

In total, we received nearly 300 submissions, spread unevenly across the cities. Some came from professional photographers or amateurs seriously involved in photography while others resulted from those keen to record twinning activities. As may be imagined, a wide variety of approaches to the medium were represented. The challenge was to make a coherent selection from a disparate set of submissions; we believe that this fuller selection of 80 photographs shows that each city has contributed meaningfully to the festival theme of ‘Women & Photography: ways of seeing and being seen’.

The outcome of this exhibition is a milestone in Oxford’s twinning associations. It could not have happened without the collaboration of people active in the nurturing of these relationships both in the eight cities and here in Oxford. We are immensely grateful to them and, of course, to the photographers who have made it all possible.

Irmgard Hueppe & Simon Murison-Bowie (curators)