Discover Free Range’s Exhibition Featuring GFF Photography Talent
The FREE RANGE Annual Graduate Creative Showcase 2026
The Truman Brewery once again opened its doors to host FREE RANGE’s Annual Graduate Creative Showcase, featuring photography from many emerging talents, including our very own: Safa B. Malik, photographer from the Fashion Accelerator Cohort and Ellis Carroll, winner of this year’s Fashion Photography Award. We would like to congratulate them both on this incredible achievement.
For the past 25 years, Free Range has been showcasing work by graduate artists from across the UK and beyond. With many universities contributing across multiple floors, Free Range offers a vibrant glimpse into the future of creative practice, across Photography, Fine Art, Architecture & Design, and Digital Design.
Ellis Carroll presented his project ‘Common Folk’ - a celebration of folklore across the British and Emerald Isle.
“An homage to my British and Irish heritage, ‘Common Folk’ is a reclamation of what being British truly is. Folklore, throughout history, has been the bread and butter of every community, both rural and urban, and a way in which those who yearn for human connection are able to come together and celebrate these weird and wonderful traditions. Growing up within the English countryside, folklore has always been, and will continue to be, a part of who I am. By using the language of contemporary fashion pictures, this series aims to inform a new audience by reflecting on and exploring British and Irish folklore practises in a form they can relate to and understand throughout, for new generations to truly understand their own heritage.
Each of the 8 shoots, all shot on film and printed within the darkroom, reference a different folklore tale, as accompanied by a contextual paragraph - whilst the surreal visual aesthetic of the project bring a new set of eyes to folklore, from both photography and fashion audiences, my priority is to educate; Whether this is the devious nature of the Mari Lwyd, or the Imbolc Fire Festival, each viewer should understand what British and Irish heritage truly is.”
Safa B. Malik exhibited her documentary-led practice which captures identity, community and culture with sensitivity.
Safa Basharat Malik is a British-Pakistani social documentary and portrait photographer based in Birmingham. Her work explores cultural identity - particularly the experiences of women of colour - as well as community and representation through portraiture and documentary photography. She works across digital and film, using natural light, environmental portraiture and considered fashion and styling to create images that are visually striking.
