The exhibition, called ‘17’, features photographs of 17 pregnant mothers who are unknowingly about to lose their babies.
It opens at Gallery@Oxo on London’s South Bank and runs until Sunday (11 December).
John Kemp, curator of the exhibition and bereaved father, said: ‘All the photos are literally a snap shot of a happier time when there was everything to look forward to with every reason to be confident of the outcome.
‘The photos are a private moment never intended for public display.
‘They were taken on mobile phones and family cameras, in the nursery, on holiday, at a wedding, in the garden and on Christmas day.
‘But a tragic event has brought new significance to these captured moments.’
The exhibition features 17 photographs, as this is the number of babies who are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in the UK.
Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, is supporting the exhibition.
Neal Long, chief executive, said: ‘This extraordinary exhibition gives a tragic insight into the utter devastation that so many families suffer due to the death of their babies.
‘The sheer innocence and delighted expectation on the faces of the mothers in 17, all of whom tragically go on to lose their babies, reinforces the fact that far too many babies die at or around the time of birth in this country.
‘John’s exhibition is extraordinary and I would encourage people to see it to understand more fully the sheer impact of baby deaths and also question why we as a society have let this death toll continue for so long.’
Entry to the exhibition is free, it is open from 11am to 6pm and an
online video previewed can be viewed here.
