Found, Shared: The Magazine Photowork

The Photographers' Gallery, London, has an exhibition of work from three magazines specialising in found imagery starting April 20. The magazines, Found, Ohio and Useful Photography, all rely on different types of found imagery to fill their pages.

US-based Found (pictured) seeks submissions through it's website, and publishes the random material it receives, including the raunchier material ('we love the pervy finds') in Dirty Found. The magazines are great records of their anonymous creator's everyday lives, ranging from angry notes left on cars to shopping lists and love letters.

I don't know Ohio magazine – apparently it collects material from Germany's volunteer groups – but Amsterdam-based Useful Photography re-uses pictures found on the web and in catalogues. I featured an early issue in my book 'magCulture', and picked up some recent copies at Colophon2007. They are beautiful collections of under-valued imagery, material from a world of photography that could hardly be more removed from the usual slick magazine fare.

Together they should make a great exhibition. It's good to see the Photographers' Gallery look beyond photography itself and exhibit photography as it is used in print.

'Found, Shared: The Magazine Photowork', 20 April – 17 June.