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