285. Julia Fullerton-Batten - Caught Between Worlds

2024 C-Type print 17.8 x 17.8 cm Julia Fullerton-Batten is a fine-art photographer internationally recognised for her highly cinematic visual storytelling. Her large-scale photographic projects are built around carefully researched themes, with each image functioning as part of a wider narrative sequence. Through elaborately staged tableaux, sophisticated lighting and meticulous composition, Fullerton-Batten creates psychologically charged scenes that blur the line between reality and fiction. Her practice is distinguished by the use of unusual locations, highly constructed environments and street-cast models, all heightened through dramatic cinematic lighting. These elements create visual tension and atmosphere, encouraging viewers to repeatedly re-examine the images and uncover new details and emotional layers. Across her work, Fullerton-Batten combines technical precision with storytelling to produce photographs that are at once theatrical, unsettling and deeply human. Fullerton-Batten holds a Diploma in Photography and spent five years assisting established photographers before developing her independent practice. Recent exhibitions include presentations at the Museu da Imagem e do Som (2024), Photo London at Somerset House (2025), and solo exhibitions including Short Stories at Picture This Art, House of Photography, Stockholm (2024), Tableaux at Fahey/Klein Gallery (2025), and STAGES at FineArt Gallery, Oslo (2026). Her work has also been exhibited internationally in Milan, Verona, Turin, Mexico City and Switzerland. Among her recent accolades are the International Photography Awards Fine Art Photographer of the Year (2023), PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris Photographer of the Year (2024), and International Photography Awards Fine Art Photographer of the Year for the Frida Project (2025). She has also been recognised by the Aesthetica Art Prize, LensCulture and Critical Mass. Her work is held in permanent collections including the National Portrait Gallery, Musée de l’Elysée, the Parliamentary Art Collection and the Lishui Photography Culture Center in China.