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
Stuart Lawson is a British photographer based in the south of France. His work explores movement, identity and transformation through portraiture, drawing on techniques that compress sequences of time into a single image. Originally working in finance, Lawson returned to photography in 2015 after gaining access to a ballet company in Russia. This experience led to the development of a distinctive visual language shaped by rhythm, gesture and presence. His work has since expanded beyond dance to include portraits of musicians, artisans, and the residents of the French medieval town of Hyeres,
