City residents focus of new art exhibition

A new street photography exhibition celebrating Lincoln and its residents opens on Saturday, November 22 at the city’s Usher Art Gallery.

Last summer, Richard Ansett joined the crowds of shoppers on Lincoln’s High Street. Armed with his trusty top-down viewfinder camera, he snapped dozens of spontaneous images, capturing moments from a day in the life of the city.  

Now the photographs are going on display in a groundbreaking Arts Council England-funded exhibition, called ‘RICHARD ANSETT: Liminal Presence’, at the free entry gallert,

Filling the walls of the gallery from floor-to-ceiling, ‘Liminal Presence’ is physically one of the largest solo exhibitions of street photography by a living artist.

For Richard – an award-winning portrait photographer whose work has been displayed internationally and has featured in The National Portrait Gallery – this exhibition is a first. 

He explains: “Portrait photography can be a meticulous process. You can take a long time building up a relationship with a person to make them feel comfortable. I must have taken hundreds of thousands of pictures but capturing that perfect photo can feel like the holy grail! In Lincoln I wanted to try a completely different approach, which is why I call this exhibition a ‘street photography experiment’.

“As an outsider, I arrived knowing very little about Lincoln or its high street. I only knew that I wanted to take authentic photographs of people going about their lives.

"Whilst these pictures will be huge, I hope in a small way they will show that there is beauty and drama in our everyday lives.”

Cllr Natalie Oliver, executive member for culture at Lincolnshire County Council, added: “The Usher Gallery has helped people to enjoy some of the country’s finest art for almost a hundred years, but in this special exhibition it’s the people of Lincoln who take centre stage.

“In a first for the gallery, Richard’s wonderful images of Lincoln’s shoppers will be printed onto giant vinyl and displayed from floor to ceiling. There’ll be no gaps between the photos, meaning the photos will fill the space, surrounding visitors.

“I hope people take the time to visit the exhibition and enjoy this celebration of Lincolnshire and its people.”

RICHARD ANSETT: Liminal Presence continues until Sunday, February 15, 2026. The Usher Gallery on Danes Terrace is open from 10am to 4pm, Thursday to Monday.