Lisa Marie to showcase her work at Gallery Oldham

Lisa Marie Gee

Oldham photographer Lisa Marie Gee (47), the proprietor of Studio G Photography, is to open her first exhibition at Gallery Oldham in September.

The exhibition, called Open Shutters, is a series of photographic portraits of men and women who live with a range mental health issues.

As well as summoning up the confidence to talk about their mental health, the subject of every portrait says that they have turned their illness into a positive.

The idea for the project came from Lisa’s own experience of a breakdown and her ongoing battle with depression and anxiety.

She said “I think the changing climate, in which talking about mental illness is becoming more and more acceptable, is fantastic, and I’d like to pay tribute to the leadership shown by Princes William and Harry in this area.

"However, I wanted to take it even further, and show that from the undeniable sadness and challenges of mental illness can come new strength, changes in direction, and greater empathy for the suffering of others.”

The portrait subjects say they found taking part, and knowing they are not alone, beneficial.

Acoustic Consultant Susan Witterick, from Dobcross, said, “This is great. I think even just being able to talk about mental illness is a huge step forward but being able to say it’s been a positive in our lives - that’s huge. It could offer hope to so many who are struggling.”

Lisa is looking for more volunteers to take part in the project.

“We want the project to represent all parts of society," she said.

"So far, we don’t have any portraits of people from the Asian community and we’d like to be able to put that right.”

Anyone interested in Open Shutters can contact Studio G Photography at openshutters@studiog-oldham.co.uk or ring 0161 300 6224.

Log on to: www.openshutters.org.uk.

The Open Shutters exhibition will open in the Community Gallery of Gallery Oldham on Saturday, September 15 and run until Saturday, November 10.

There will also be a book to accompany the exhibition.