Maltese photographer Joe Smith will be the first Maltese artist to have his work exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London after an image he submitted for the prestigious Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize was short-listed for exhibition.

The National Portrait Gallery describes the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize as “a unique opportunity to see sixty new portraits by some of the most exciting contemporary photographers from around the world”.

This year’s edition attracted over 4,000 entries from no less than 1,793 photographers, with 60 images, including Smith’s, making it to the final exhibition shortlist.

Smith’s image features Birgu resident Concetta Caruana together with her cat, and is part of his works-in-progress for the second volume of “Survivors – The Ageing Population of Birgu”. Following the highly successful photographic exhibition and launch of the first volume in 2009, Smith was invited by the Birgu Local Council to embark on a second volume, as there were other protagonists who had highly intriguing stories to relate.

For the second volume, Smith is working with Maltese cinematographer Jean Pierre Gatt, who is shooting footage of the “making of” as well as snippets of the interviews with the persons who will feature in the second volume. The photographic stage is nearing completion, and the book, together with a DVD containing the footage, is expected to be launched late next year.

The exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London opens on 13^th November 2014 and will run till 22^nd February 2015.