Inès Elsa Dalal

Born in Nottingham to a Swiss, Italian mother & German, Danish, Parsi (Iranian-Indian) father, I spent my formative years in Birmingham and am currently based in London. I pride myself on working in a way that prioritises the portrait sitter’s comfort: holding space to co-create and connect meaningfully.

Summer 2011, I returned to Birmingham after graduating from Manchester School of Art. Deeply moved by the five days of uprisings across England which took place in the second week of August, in response to the police murdering Mark Duggan. Witnessing those uprisings and the way it was reported made me reconsider: who am I photographing, and why?

I proceeded to focus on photographing and working in partnership with Black and Brown communities, UK-wide. To this day I continue to actively and intentionally counteract the widespread normalisation of dehumanising narratives. Meanwhile, anti-Blackness and Islamophobia continue to dominate mainstream media.

I began working with pioneers of the Windrush Generation in 2012 - five years before the Windrush Scandal hit the headlines in 2017. I photographed military veterans from islands across the Caribbean - who fought for the British military in contemporary conflicts. Debut solo exhibition: ‘West Indies to West Midlands’ (2013-2015). Created in honour of everyone who rebuilt post-war Britain, and are yet to be acknowledged for their monumental sacrifices - often thanked only for their ‘contribution’

Subsequently, in 2018, I was commissioned by the NHS to document pioneering nurses of the Windrush Generation. Given the ongoing political tension surrounding migration, I entitled the portrait series ‘Here To Stay’. Initially anticipated to be a small, humble, temporary exhibition at Sandwell Hospital’s Education Centre. Here to Stay went on to have 15 iterations: a solo exhibition commissioned across London, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands - most notably at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

‘Unreported Uprisings’ documents Winter 2023 - Spring 2024, when workers from all sectors of society united in London for the largest strike action since 1926’s General Strike. Exhibited at NOW Gallery, London (10th October - 17th November 2024) - the exhibition is currently available to tour.

Throughout 2025 workers continued to strike, many ‘pay rises’ were not in line with inflation. I continue to work on long-form, self-initiated projects locally (UK) and internationally. I’m currently concerned with the Housing Crisis, Trader Justice, Farmers and Fire Fighters during climate crisis, drought and impending famine of Summer 2026.