Hi/Hola! My name is Roxana Allison and I'm an award-winning Mexican-British photographer based in Manchester, UK. I develop self-assigned projects and commissions, alongside working in higher education, a sector in which I have 20 years experience.
Themes of place, belonging and community are at the centre of my work. My documentary photography and portraiture are strongly influenced by my mixed cultural upbringing, allowing me to understand and engage with underrepresented communities and reveal stories that often go unseen.
My latest project entitled Hope. Despair. Miracles., permanently on show at Crowcroft Park in Longsight, Manchester, shows some of the work I've done in multiethnic neighbourhoods, while my series Uncovering the Invisible: A Portrait of Latin Americans in the UK, co-authored with my brother photographer Pablo Allison, is an example of the work I've done with Latin communities.
Among the organisations and institutions I have collaborated with are Redeye: The Photography Network, Impressions Gallery, Open Eye Gallery, The University of Bolton, Manchester Art Gallery, HOME, Manchester Metropolitan University, The Travelling Heritage Bureau and Manchester City Council.
I am part of Foto Féminas, a platform promoting Latin American women photographers. In 2022 I was part of the Trace Mentorship Programme and in 2023 I was a winner of the British Journal of Photography Portrait of Britain Vol. 6.
You can reach me by email at roxallison@gmail.com and follow me on instagram @roxanaallison.
Awards & Grants
- Neighbourhood Investment Fund, ManchesterCity Council, 2024
- A Winner of The British Journal of Photography Portrait of Britain Vol. 6, 2023
- Neighbourhood Investment Fund, ManchesterCity Council, 2023
- National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance Bursary Scheme, 2018
- Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs (Embassy of Spain), 2015
- AHRC(University of Nottingham), Uncovering the Invisible, 2014
Publications
- Portrait of Britain Vol. 6, Bluecoat Press, 2024
- Hope. Despair. Miracles., MCC, 2023
- Out Loud, Work Show Grow, 2022
- Migrantes Valientes, Undocumented Press, 2022
- Moral Turpitude, Undocumented Press, 2021
- United, Work Show Grow, 2021
- Nuart Journal, 2020
- WordPlay Magazine, 2019
- Operation Jurassic Book, ThePavement Studio, 2018
- Prison Photography, www.prisonphotography.org, 2018
- Thread Bearing Witness, Alice Kettle Exhibition Catalogue, 2018
- Do Mix Meh Up, The Oxford Diasporas Programme, 2015
- Uncovering the Invisible, The University of Nottingham, 2014
Education
- MA - Photography / Distinction: The University of Bolton, UK, 2019 - 2020
- BA - Fine Art / First Class (Hons): Faculty of Art & Design, Mexico, 2000 - 2004
Informal Education
- Trace Mentorship Programme 2022-2023
- Work Show Grow, Online, 2020-2022
- Fine Art Large Format Black and White Printing - Selenium Studio, Mexico City
- Photographic Conservation - National School of Conservation, Mexico City
Exhibitions
- Crowcroft Park, Permanent Exhibition, Longsight, Manchester, 2024
- A Space for Photography, Festival Off, Arles, France, 2024
- Waterside Gallery, 2024
- University of Bolton, 2023
- HOME, Manchester
- Impressions Gallery, Bradford
- The Cervantes Institute Manchester
- Aston University, Birmingham
- London City Hall
- University of Exeter
- Lakeside Gallery, Nottingham
- Stella Dore Gallery, Hastings
- Manchester Art Gallery
- Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
- Neo Gallery, Bolton
- University of London
- Park Theatre, London
Artist Talks
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Work Show Grow
- Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool
- Miniclicks, Leeds
- Redeye, Manchester
- The University of Manchester
- Impressions Gallery, Bradford
- The Cervantes Institute, Manchester
- The University of Bolton, Greater Manchester
- Snappy Valley, Todmorden
- The University of Exeter
- Gateway College, Leicester