Drag artist Ebony Rose Dark to appear in photography exhibition celebrating stories of blind and partially sighted people

Drag artist Ebony Rose Dark will appear in a new portrait exhibition this month, spotlighting the strength, individuality and lived experiences of blind and partially sighted people across the UK. 

Joshua Bratt, the acclaimed photojournalist and portrait photographer, is responsible for this powerful exhibition, titled Seen, which can be viewed at the RNIB Grimaldi Building in London.

It will feature 22 intimate photographic portraits that share interesting stories of people who navigate the world with sight loss. Bratt’s thoughtful composition invites audiences to see the person beyond the sight loss, placing their achievements, passions and inner worlds front and centre. 

Bratt found inspiration for Seen when he noticed a cane user during his regular commute to Central London.

He commented: “Ignorantly, I would just see him as a blind person rather than a man going to work with a job and a story, and I realised that if I was subconsciously labelling somebody, and just seeing the disability rather than who they were as a person, then other people were likely doing that too.” 

He continued: “I came up with the idea of going around the country and finding blind or partially sighted people with interesting backgrounds and stories to and taking their picture to help change the perceptions that many people may have about sight loss.” 

Ebony Rose Dark became severely sight impaired at the age of five, before discovering dance at the Royal National College for the Blind. Ebony trained in contact improvisation, ballet, tango, and more before joining Candoco and Amici Dance Theatre, and teaching community dance. Ebony is an innovator in accessible performance: their full-length production Out There, In Here (which shows at The Place, London) is a richly immersive, audio-described, BSL-interpreted journey exploring what it means to be “seen and not seen” through a sensory-rich, theatrical experience.

I hope Seen boosts confidence in blind and partially sighted people who may be struggling with their sexuality or worrying about acceptance by family and friends.

Ebony’s image was taken at this summer's Pride parade in London. Ebony comments: “I hope Seen boosts confidence in blind and partially sighted people who may be struggling with their sexuality or worrying about acceptance by family and friends.

"And generally, I hope it creates awareness of the talent and diversity within the sight loss community.” 

Anna Tylor, Chair of RNIB, was also photographed as part of the project. She said: “It was a pleasure to be part of the amazing line up of people in Joshua’s project. His work is a moving reminder that representation matters - not only in how people are seen, but in how we are heard, felt, and understood. RNIB is thrilled to open its headquarters to this exhibition, and we hope people enjoy experiencing a glimpse of some of the amazing stories behind the talent that feature in this photo series.”  

The free-to-view exhibition has been curated with accessibility at its core. Each portrait will be accompanied by rich audio descriptions while a tactile brochure will be available so people can experience the images through their sense of touch.

The exhibition will run from Friday, 12 September to Sunday, 14 September at RNIB’s Grimaldi Building, 154a Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JE. Timed viewing slots can be booked for free at Evenbrite.co.uk For more information or to view the works online, visit rnib.org.uk