As Editor of fLIP magazine I had the privilege of interviewing some really inspirational photo artists who over the years have made enormous contributions to photography as a medium for creative expression and inquiry. I found my interactions thought provoking and informative about the creative process that led to exceptional, internationally recognised works. As I had gained a lot from these interviews I wanted to share the texts with a wider readership. I am pleased to offer these interviews, as published, as free PDF downloads. Image copyright belong to the artists and texts to the authors.
David Bate (fLIP 46, Summer 2020)
At the time of this interview the United Kingdom was in full lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The country was gripped with fear, anxiety and grief. By 30th June there were over 44,000 deaths. Social distancing was the norm and social contact was limited. With severe restriction on mobility and meetings we agreed to have our discussion via cyberspace.
David is a pre-eminent critical thinker. He is Professor of Photography at the University of Westminster, the author of several highly acclaimed books on photography and art, and an educator and practitioner with an international reputation. We spoke about David’s formative experiences, photography education, and his views on current issues and challenges.
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Edmund Clark fLIP 48, Spring 2021
Edmund Clark links history, politics and representation in his internationally acclaimed works which examine themes of state censorship, incarceration, control and conflict. He combines a range of references and forms including bookmaking, installations and photography to engage his audiences with processes of change and transformation. He uses documents, text and other material that are conceptually relevant to investigating his subjects and communicating with audiences.
Edmund is the recipient of international awards and his works are held in several prestigious collections. He teaches postgraduate students at the London College of Communication and for four years was the artist-in-residence in Europe's only wholly therapeutic prison, HMP Grendon. His recent publications are My Shadow's Reflection (2018), In Place of Hate (2017) and Guantanamo: If the Light Goes Out (2010). I interviewed Edmund in September 2020 about his interests, how he approaches his subjects and the challenges faced along the way.
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Clare Strand (fLIP 49, Summer 2021)
Clare Strand is a prominent British conceptual artist, working with and against the photographic medium. Over the past two decades she has worked with found imagery, kinetic machinery, web programs, fairground attractions and, most recently, large scale paintings. Strand’s work has been widely exhibited in venues such as The Museum Folkwang; The Centre Pompidou; Tate Britain; Salzburg Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In 2020, Clare was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize. I spoke to her about this and her conceptually driven approach to her works.
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The Works and Influences of Jan Svoboda – interview Clare Grafik and Pavel Vančát – (fLIP 47, Winter 2020)
Jan Svoboda sought to redefine the language and perception of photography, deconstructing the process and form, playing with subject matter and presentation and considering the medium in relation to painting and sculpture, and within the traditions of Symbolism, Romanticism and Modernism. His self-reflective, speculative works paved the way for wider experiments with photographic appropriation and mark him out as a pioneer of conceptual photography. Svoboda distanced himself from the Czech photographic establishment and famously declared: I am not a photographer. He had a greater affinity with artists and in 1963 was accepted as the only photographer into the artist collective Máj.
Clare Grafik, Head of Exhibitions at The Photographers' Gallery and Pavel Vančát, Czech artist and curator put on the much overdue ‘Against the Light’ exhibition in 2020 at The Photographers Gallery in London. This was a testament to the legacy of the pioneering works of the Czech photographer,
Jan Svoboda (1934–1990). I discussed Svoboda’s legacy and the extent to which he was successful with his photographic approach.
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James Welling (fLIP 50, Winter 2021)
James Welling, an American photographer based in New York City, currently teaches at Princeton University. His international reputation for experimentation and innovation spans a 40 year career. James has received numerous recognitions and awards and his works are held in over 50 private and public collections spanning America and Europe. His inquisitive approach, innovative styles and vast array of works display a glorious fusion of photography, art, sculpture, dance and poetry and speak to something inside all of us – awe, fascination and a yearning for joy.
Metamorphosis a 35-year survey and his first solo exhibition in Greater China was on display at David Zwirner Gallery in Hong Kong this past spring. The show included works from five bodies of work including Flowers, 2004-2017. So I was truly delighted that he agreed to give an interview for fLIP magazine.
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Cemre Yeşil Gönenli (fLIP 51, Spring 2022)
Cemre Yeşil Gönenli is a Turkish photographer and artist living in Istanbul. Her work has been exhibited and published internationally including The Guardian, International Centre of Photography New York, The British Journal of Photography, Istanbul Modern Museum, and Salt Beyoğlu.
Her 2020 book Hayal & Hakikat was the winner of the Best Photography Book of the Year in the international category of PhotoEspaña 2021. She was also nominated for the Foam Paul Huf Award of Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam in 2014 and 2021 and for ING Unseen Talent Award in 2016. In 2015 The British Journal of Photography placed her amongst the 25 most promising
new talents in a global survey of emerging photographers, citing her work For Birds’ Sake which was produced in collaboration with Maria Sturm. Her works are included in the collections of the Houston Center for Photography, Istanbul Modern Museum, Soho House London and Soho House Istanbul.
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Rinko Kawauchi (fLIP 52, Summer 2022)
Rinko Kawauchi is an internationally renowned Japanese artist who has received great acclaim for her photographic visions that elevate everyday scenes into expressions of life and living. In 2001, Rinko Kawauchi launched her career with the simultaneous publication of three astonishing photobooks - Utatane, Hanabi, and Hanako - firmly establishing herself as one of the most innovative newcomers to contemporary photography, not just in Japan, but across the globe.
In the years that followed, she published several critically acclaimed photo books, including AILA (2004), the eyes, the ears, (2005), and Semear (2007). Kawauchi’s work has frequently been lauded for its nuanced palette and offhand compositional mastery, as well as its ability to incite wonder via careful attention to tiny gestures and the incidental details of her everyday environment. Kawauchi visualizes the invisible, and although is not religious, Buddhist ideas of impermanence are at the root of her works. In 2021 Aperture published the 2nd edition of Illuminance, Kawachi’s masterful work, brimming with imagination and poetic imagery. One simply has to visit her website to get an idea of the breadth and depth of her extraordinary vision. In April 2022 I had the privilege of interviewing Rinko for fLIP 52.
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Mieke Douglas / Frankie McAllister – fLIP INSIGHTS
I published Flip INSIGHTS No4 in 2022 primarily to encourage photographer- artists to consider the benefits of portfolio reviews. This article is based on a portfolio review session and top tips from Mieke Douglas and Frankie McAlister, both hugely talented artists.
This pdf download includes the full text of the session I had with Mieke and Frankie and additionally deals with the importance of developing a photographic style and skilled use of social media.
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