Stuart Lawson Photography

METAMORPHOSES - Stuart Lawson

23–25 January 2026
Public viewing: 1pm to 6pm daily
Free entry
St John’s Waterloo

About the Exhibition

London, UK — January 2026
St John’s Waterloo presents METAMORPHOSES, a new exhibition by British photographer Stuart Lawson, running from 23–25 January 2026 in the atmospheric crypt and gallery spaces of this landmark South Bank venue. Known for his distinctive chronophotographic portraits, Lawson draws on work with ballet dancers in Russia, artisans in France, and folk performers in Uzbekistan to explore movement, memory, and the fluidity of identity, compressing extended gestures into a single frame; in addition, his portraits seek to expose the character within. Curated by Nicolas Havette, the exhibition reflects Lawson’s journey of migration and reinvention and invites viewers to encounter portraits shaped by history, rupture, and resilience, offering a meditation on life’s capacity for transformation.

“Stuart Lawson’s work reminds us that identity is never fixed. Each portrait is a living trace of someone becoming. In the gallery space of St John’s, these images breathe differently; they invite us to slow down and witness the quiet transformations that shape every human life.”

Nicolas Havette

About the Artist

Stuart Lawson is a British photographer based in France who rekindled his practice in 2015 after gaining unprecedented access to the Perm Ballet Company, leading to Dancer’s Soul, created with dancers from the Stanislavsky and Bolshoi ballets. After relocating to Provence, he expanded his motion-focused studio work to musicians, athletes, and the artisans and shopkeepers of Hyères. His work has been exhibited in Russia, France, Germany, the UK, Japan, Uzbekistan, and Dubai, and published in two books, reflecting his ability to capture both movement and the inner character of his subjects.

Studio in Recovery

Inside a recovery hospital, I built a full portrait studio where you would least expect one: on-site, within the everyday rhythm of care. Over a series of individual and group sessions, I photographed the people who make recovery possible—doctors, nurses, therapists, and the essential support teams who keep everything moving.

The work culminated in a continuous, 60-metre photographic installation running along a main service corridor. Seen daily by patients, families, and staff, the portraits shift perception: caregivers appear not only as professionals in motion, but as people—calm, present, approachable. The corridor becomes a quietly powerful gallery, offering patients a more human connection to those supporting their recovery.

For the hospital team, the project has an equally tangible effect. Creating images together—across roles and hierarchies—strengthens pride, cohesion, and the shared identity of a care community. The installation stands as a visible reminder that healing is a collective endeavour.

This project is designed to be repeatable in other environments—hospitals, clinics, care homes, rehabilitation centres, and any organisation where teamwork and human connection matter. I’m actively looking for teams who would like to create a similar installation: a portrait project that celebrates the people behind the service and transforms a shared space into a living statement of care.

Interested in hosting the project?
Get in touch to discuss space, timeline, and how we can tailor the sessions and installation to your setting.