Exhibition

Hold Still

From 1 January 2021
Free to all

From virtual birthday parties and handmade rainbows to powerful images of people battling isolation and illness, this landmark community project unites the nation in photography to tell the story of the coronavirus pandemic.

The project aims to capture the highs and lows of the nation at this challenging time in our history, bringing together 100 chosen portraits online. Selected by a passionate committee of judges including poet and writer Lemn Sissay, the Duchess of Cambridge and Director of the National Portrait Gallery Nicholas Cullinan, the final portraits represent the powerful symbols we have come to associate with our present history, from clapping for keyworkers to time spent in solitude.

The images together are a unique record of the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of us, the people who have experienced it. They convey powerful feelings of tragedy, loss, kindness and hope, whilst also exploring humour and creativity to come out of the crisis.

Later this year the images will go on display in towns and cities around the UK, but for now the exhibition can be enjoyed in its entirety online.

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How to get there

National Portrait Gallery

St Martin's Place, London, Greater London, WC2H 0HE
020 7306 0055

Free to all

Opening times

Open daily 10.30 – 18.00​
Friday & Saturday 10.30 – 21.00

How to get there

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