Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-06-21)

10 15 June 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

Also out now

Thelatestandbestbooksandexhibitions

from the world of photography

Kinship

OpenEyeGallery, 19 MannIsland,

LiverpoolL31BP.Visitwww.openeye.org.uk

HOWHUMANSrelatetoeachotheris a subjectthat’s

oftenexploredin photography.In ‘Kinship’,onuntil

7 July,thethemeis examinedbysevenfemale

photographers;theyexploretheideaof ‘kin’asit

relatestofriendships,familiesandpartners.

PixyLiaorevealswhatit’sliketobea Chinese

womanin a relationshipwitha youngerJapanese

man.MeanwhileJohannaHeldebro,aftera periodof

nocontactwithherfather,photographedhimusing

policesurveillancetechniquesashewentabouthis

newlifein Sweden.Thenthere’stheenormously

upliftingOneDayYoung– a projectbyJennyLewisin

whichshephotographsnewmotherswiththeirbabies,

allof whomarelessthan 24 hoursold.

Varied,andat timesprovocative,thisexhibitionis

onetochallengeourperceptionsaroundrelationships,

which can be no bad thing.Ailsa McWhinnie

© JENNY LEWIS

Michael Kenna

Runsuntil 31 July.Entryfree.1 TheHighStreet,BoshamPO188LS,WestSussex.Visitwww.boshamgallery.com

T

heminimalist,black& white,

long-exposuregenrehasbeen

aroundforsomanyyearsnow,

it’shardto remembera time

whenit wasoriginal.A timebeforethe

ubiquitouslong-exposurefilterbecamean

almostessentialfixturein thelandscape

photographer’skitbag.

Thephotographerwhopioneered

thisstyle,asmanyalreadyknow,is British-

bornbutAmerica-dwellingMichaelKenna.

Hissubtle,dream-likeimages– allshoton

black& whitefilmandhandprintedhimself

in hisdarkroomat home– spawnedmany

thousandsof imitators,butyoudon’thave

to delvetoofarintohisworkbefore

realisingheis theoriginalandthebest.His

imagesaretheresultof shutterspeeds

notof secondsorevenminutes,butoften

of hours.But,crucially,hisworkisn’tabout

a technique– it’sabouta feeling,asallthe

bestphotographyshouldbe.Andthose

whoareinspiredbyhisapproachshould

make their way to Bosham Gallery, on the

southcoastof England,forthisexhibition

of hiswork.

Celebratingthepast 45 yearsof

Kenna’sphotography,theexhibition

featuresimagesfromlocationsallover

theworld,butsuchis thestrengthof his

vision,theycouldhaveallbeentakenin

thesameplaceat thesametime.Offering

aninsightintohisevolutionasanartist,

Kennasays,‘I prefersuggestionover

description.Theworldis prettychaotic,

seeminglyalwaysspeedingupandgetting

louderandmorevisuallydense.I am

interestedin findingandcreatingcalm

sheltersfromthestorm;placeswhere

quietandsolitudeis encouragedand

innercontemplationpossible.I thinkwe

couldallusea breakfromtimetotime.’

If youcan’tgettotheexhibition,

perhapsinvestin oneof hisbooksinstead.

However,withmorethan 60 havingbeen

produced,theonlyproblemyou might

haveis choosingjustone.

Ailsa McWhinnie

SixBirdsFlying.

Bath, Avon, 1987

BOOK

EXHIBITION

EXHIBITION

TheEastEnd in Colour

1980-

ByTimBrown,editedbyChrisDorley-Brown,

HoxtonMiniPress,£16.95, 128 pages,

hardback, ISBN978-1-910566-53-

INTHEmid-1980s,TimBrownwas

workinglateshiftsasa driveronthe

Underground,butin hissparetime

heroamedthecity’sfinancialdistrict

andtransporthubswithhisPentax

35mmloadedwithKodachrome.Brownwascreating

a privaterecordof thecityduringoneof itsradical

periodsof transformation.PlansforCanaryWharf

werewellunderway,andin 1987theDocklandsLight

Railwayopened,snakingitswayacrosswhatoften

lookedlikea war-tornlandscape.ChrisDorley-Brown

(whoeditedandcuratedboththiscollectionandDavid

Granick’sTheEastEndin Colour1960-1980) describes

thepicturesas‘deadpanurbanlandscapes’,but

despitetheirexpressionless,almostapocalypticair,

thereis a genuinebeautytothem.Brownfirstshowed

a sampleof theseimagesonFlickrin 2004,butthere

is nodoubtthatthisbeautifullypresentedbook is their

natural home.★★★★★ Tracy Calder

A 45-year retrospective

© MICHAEL KENNA