Ralph Whitehead

Lives and works in London, UK

b. 1977

Ralph Whitehead borrows elements of fashion photography and weaves them into narratives that explore themes of duality, transformation, and process. His work examines the relationship between light and darkness, aiming to connect the viewer directly with this dichotomy. Seeking a dialogue between calm and disquiet, tension and serenity, the beautiful and the repulsive, he invites us to see darkness as a more familiar space. Probing the dynamic interplay of opposites is his main field of investigation, using these relationships as a foundation from which to draw understanding and insight into humanity’s struggles.

Born and raised in Italy, Whitehead moved to London to complete his postgraduate studies in Physics and Mathematics at Imperial College and UCL. Gradually, he transitioned into a full-time career as an artist, working in both fine art and fashion photography. His interest in experimentation with ideas and materials continues to form an integral part of his practice as he pushes the boundaries of the medium.

  • Born 1977 in Rome, Italy
    Lives and works in London, UK

    2001-2002
    MSc Financal Mathematics, King’s College London, UK

    1999-2001
    MSc Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces, Imperial College London, UK

    1995-1999
    MSci Physics, UCL, London, UK

  • Solo exhibitions 

    2025
    Phase Transitions, Curated by Katy Vetch, Inspection Pit, West Sussex, UK (forthcoming)

    2024
    Shining darkness – a journey into a black sun, London, UK

    2023 
    Process and Duality, Photobook Café, London, UK

    2017
    Alchemical Portraits, SHED London, London, UK

    2015
    Urban Reflections (Light Echoes), Fazenda UK, London, UK

    2014
    technicolor dreams, Fazenda UK, London, UK


    Group exhibitions 

    2025
    Surreality 101, VEFA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (forthcoming)

    2023
    Rencontre D’Arles: Open Walls, Galerie Huit, Arles, France

    2019
    Revela’t Festival, Barcelona, Spain

    2016
    Photomonth photo open, Rich Mix, London, UK

    2015
    Photomonth photo open, Rich Mix, London, UK

    2014
    Light Headed, Gallery320, London, UK

Selected works

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