We had an amazing preview at Photo London yesterday! Thanks to all who visited us throughout the day, it was great to speak with so many of you about our artists. We are looking forward to the first day of public hours at the fair.
Read up on CEG artists featured in the press ahead of today’s opening!
Clarissa Bonet via The Guardian
Michael Koerner via British GQ
We’re kicking off this week of highlights with three amazing artists whose thoughtful work is not to be missed at this year’s installment of Photo London: Omar Imam, Michael Koerner and Gregory Scott! Visit booth G15 to see more.
Omar Imam
In 2012, Syrian activist turned photographer Omar Imam (b. 1979 Damascus) was kidnapped and tortured by a militia and only let go when a friend intervened. Soon after, Imam left Damascus with his parents and wife, settling in Beirut where he and his wife started a family. In 2016, he moved to Amsterdam, where he currently resides. His wife and children finally received the paperwork that allowed them to join him. In his photographic works, Imam uses irony and a conceptual approach to respond to the violent situation in Syria, often publishing his work under a pseudonym. After leaving Damascus in late 2012, he began making fictional short films that often focus on the Syrian refugee experience. Individually and with NGOs, he has produced films, photographic projects, and workshops for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Live, Love, Refugee is Imam’s photographic response to the chaos erupting in his homeland. In refugee camps across Lebanon, Imam collaborated with Syrians to create photographs that talked about their reality, rather than presenting them as a simple statistic. As a refugee himself, Imam understands the loss and chaos of being displaced from ones home. But dreams cannot be eradicated — dreams of escape, dreams of love, and dreams of terror. These dreams are what Imam set out to capture. The resulting images peel back the façade of flight, to reveal the spirit of those who persevere, despite losing everything that was familiar. These composed photographs challenge our perception of victimization, offering access into the heart and soul of humanity.
In April 2017, Omar received the Tim Hetherington Visionary Award. The Tim Hetherington Trust will be presenting Omar’s series Syrialism today as a part of their 2018 Award announcement at Photo London. Details can be found here.
Michael Koerner
Michael Koerner (b. Okinawa, Japan, 1963) is the oldest of five brothers. Due to genetic abnormalities and cancer, he is the only remaining living son. His brothers’ fates (and potentially his own) can be linked to their mother, who was eleven years old on August 9, 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. She lived in Sasebo, Japan, 45 miles away from the blast. The long-term effects of severe, acute exposure to gamma radiation led to his mother’s death at an early age, and all of his brothers. Koerner’s work explores his family history and genetics through small tintypes, using photographic chemistry to assimilate the bursts and biochemical fallout from the atom bomb. Koerner is one of the gallery’s newest represented artists and over 30 of his plates are available for viewing at our booth.
Gregory Scott
Gregory Scott has always blurred the lines between painting and photography, incorporating paintings he did of himself, or his body, back into his photographs. The resulting images were both humorous and odd, challenging the viewer’s perception of photographic truth. Then, at the age of 49, Scott decided to go to graduate school to strengthen his knowledge of art history and video making. Having successfully merged his love of painting and photographs, his interest turned to video and its ability to move and manipulate still images.
Continuing to use himself as the model, Scott creates narrative pieces which use illusion and surprise to tackle issues ranging from identity and loneliness, to the way the art world has pigeonholed the various mediums in which he works. In his pieces, Scott challenges the definitions placed on photography, painting and video, expanding its discourse.
Gregory Scott’s newest piece, “Rothko Chapel, 2018,” is based on the space in which the painter’s 14 murals are installed in Houston, Texas. As many people know, photography is not permitted inside the chapel, but that did not stop Gregory. As a former model maker, he painstakingly built the chapel in his studio, creating his own access to its interior. The 6 minute video explores the experience of being inside the chapel, where meditation takes over, dreaming is encouraged, and the mind is free to imagine.
Follow along with us this week on Cyclopsblog, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for highlights and behind-the-scenes images from London! Plan your visit to the fair here, and be sure to visit booth G15! Stateside viewers can also see the booth in full on our website here.
Photo London
May 16 – 20, 2018
Somerset House
Strand
London
WC2R 1LA
| Thursday 17 May | 12:00 – 20:00 |
| Friday 18 May | 12:00 – 19:30 |
| Saturday 19 May | 12:00 – 19:30 |
| Sunday 20 May | 12:00 – 18:30 |
@edelmangallery @photolondonfair #photolondonfair2018
Catherine Edelman Gallery 