Karen McQuaid is the Senior Curator at The Photographers Gallery, London. She grew up in the suburbs of Dublin, her school did not have a strong art department and her family influenced her to play sports based on their own interests. She then discovered magazines, reviews, etc. involving photography so at age 16, she decided she wanted to explore this and create a career of it. She interned for a magazine named ‘Surface’, which was published every October. One of her favourite magazines from a young age was ‘Tank’ magazine, it included lots of fashion, photography and social culture which intrigued McQuaid largely and encouraged her to pursue this career pathway. She began making large fashion images and had a realisation that she wanted more and to push herself further to become a fashion editor. Photography was the thing that she wanted to hold onto the most out of everything that she was doing at the time, she decided this was what she wanted to do and found her way to the Photographers Gallery. She began by organising talks and events, this was something she enjoyed as she was interested in it herself. This was all happening whilst doing her MA at university. Working at the Photographers Gallery meant that she was given various projects and exhibitions to run and showcase. She admitted that there were many struggles when she first started due to her experience and how she felt things should have been done from her own creative perspective. Over time, she perfected her craft and is now extremely respected in her chosen industry and field.
Toni's Photography 