Philippa James is a British photographer whose portrait-led projects examine women, girlhood, and the performances shaped by contemporary culture and patriarchy.
Her first project, 100 Women of Oxford (2020), gained recognition after exhibition during Photo Oxford and was subsequently published as a photobook by The North Wall Art Gallery. Her current project, Once a Slag, will be published as a photobook by Matanna Editions in 2026; the work was selected for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize (2023) and exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery.
Alongside her practice, Philippa is co-founder of Women and the Photobook, a travelling reading room and research project, and she is an associate lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Sep ’25 – I am… Permanant Collection, Waste2Taste, Oxford
Mar ’25 – 50 Years of Women at Jesus College, Permanent Collection, Oxford University
Jan ’23 – Girlhood, The North Wall Art Gallery, Oxford
Jun ’21 – We Cannot Walk Alone, Arts at The Old Fire Station, Oxford
Oct ’20 – 100 Women of Oxford, The North Wall Art Gallery, Oxford
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
May ’25 – LensCulture Emerging Talent Exhibition, Photo London
Nov ’23/Feb ’24 – Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London
June ’23 – Portraits of Humanity, Belfast Exposed, Northern Ireland
April ’23 – About Then, Stephen Lawrence Gallery, London
Jun ’22 – Selfies, The Royal Photographic Society
Nov ’21 – Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, Cromwell Place, London
AWARDS / GRANTS
2025 – The Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship, Shortlisted
2024-25 – DYCP Arts Council of England, Awarded
2024 – LensCulture Emerging Talent of the Year, Winner
2023 – Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, Exhibited
2023 – PhMuseum Women in Photography Award, Shortlisted
2023 – Portraits of Humanity, Winner
TALKS / LECTURES
University of Gloucestershire, Associate Lecturer
PhotoPhone Podcast, Opportunities
Format Festival, Women and the Photobook
Oxford Brookes, Associate Lecturer
Museum of Oxford, Ethics in Photography
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Photography & Portraiture
EDUCATION
2021-23 – MA Photography | Falmouth University (Distinction)
PRESS/PUBLICATIONS
Once a Slag – Published by Matanna Editions, 2026
The Guardian – My Best Shot
Portraits of Humanity Vol 5 – Published by Hoxton Mini Press
100 Women of Oxford – Published by The North Wall Arts Centre
British Journal of Photography – Exhibition Review
Dazed – Shows to Leave The House For
National Portrait Gallery – Philippa James in Conversation
OX Magazine – 100 Women of Oxford