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‘A call to action’: 2024 Venice Biennale to feature more than 300 artists with focus on Indigenous and queer figures

By in Native

‘A call to action’: 2024 Venice Biennale to feature more than 300 artists with focus on Indigenous and queer figures

The curator of the 60th Venice Biennale, Adriano Pedrosa, has revealed his plans for the world’s most prestigious exhibition which launches in April. There are 331 artists in total in the main international exhibition, entitled Foreigners Everywhere, which takes place in a “world rife with crises concerning movement of people across borders”, Pedrosa said in a press briefing held this morning.

“Wherever you go, you will always encounter foreigners… no matter where you find yourself, you are always deep down inside a foreigner,” said Pedrosa. The thesis expresses “differences and disparities conditioned by [issues such as] race, sexuality and wealth etc.”, he added.

Pedrosa says that he feels his own experiences are reflected in the theme. “I have lived abroad and been fortunate to travel extensively,” he said, stressing that he has often been treated as a “third-world foreigner” even though he holds “one of the highest-ranking passports of the Global South. [Pedrosa is Brazilian]” Crucially, he said: “I also identify as queer, the first openly queer curator [of the Biennale].”

The theme especially takes on extra resonance in Venice, he added. “At one point, Venice was the most important centre for trade in Mediterranean. The population [today] consists of 50,000; this may reach 165,000 during peak seasons due to enormous numbers of tourists… foreigners of a privileged kind.”

New Zealand’s Mataaho, a collective of four Māori women artists / Mataaho in front of AKA (2019), exhibited in Àbadakone | Continuous Fire | Feu Continuel, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

Photo courtesy of National Gallery of Canada

He also said that the theme can be considered as “a call to action. This assumes critical significance around Europe when the number of forcibly displaced people hit its highest in 2022 at 108 million; this is expected to grow in 2023.”

The aesthetic thread underpinning the Biennale comes from the Paris-based collective Claire Fontaine who made a number of neon sculptures rendering the phrase “Stranieri Ovunque” or “Foreigners Everywhere” (the phrase initially derives from the name of a Turin collective who fought racism and xenophobia in Italy in the early 2000s). Several sculptures by Claire Fontaine will be shown around the Arsenale exhibition site (the former shipyards in Venice).

Indigenous artists will have a strong “emblematic” presence in the show, said Pedrosa. The Mahku collective, who come from the border of Brazil and Peru, will paint a monumental mural on the façade of the Central Pavilion in the Giardini. In the Arsenale, the Mataaho collective from New Zealand will present a large installation in the first room.

Dean Sameshima’s Secret Historian (no. 2), 2010; Dean Sameshima is just one of several queer artists whose work will be shown in the nucleo contemporaneo

Courtesy the artist and Soft Opening, London

Queer artists will feature in one of the nucleo contemporaneo (contemporary nuclei) including Erica Rutherford; Isaac Chong Wai; Elyla; Violeta Quispe; Louis Fratino and Dean Sameshima. A room devoted to “queer abstraction” will feature works by China-born Evelyn Taocheng Wang.

There will also be a special section devoted to the Disobedience Archive, established by Marco Scotini which is described on the organisation’s website as a “user’s guide to four decades of social disobedience seen through history and geography”.

There will be a focus on textiles, with works by the Chilean sewing collective Bordadoras de Isla Negra as well as artists Dana Awartini, Frieda Toranzo-Jaeger, Liz Collins, Pacita Abad and Yinka Shonibare. A section also concentrates on “artists related by blood” including Susanne Wenger and her adopted son, Sangodare Gbadegesin Ajala. This part will also include Lorna Selim and Jewad Selim.

The Biennale will also feature a Nucleo Storico (historical nuclei), a section comprising works by 20th-century artists from Latin America, Africa, the Arab world, and Asia dating from 1905 to 1990. “European modernism travelled far beyond Europe throughout the 20th century, often intertwined with colonialism, and many artists in the Global South travelled to Europe to be exposed to it. Yet modernism was appropriated, devoured and cannibalised in the Global South, repeatedly taking on radically new shapes and forms in dialogue with local and indigenous references,” Pedrosa said earlier this year.

The Nucleo Storico will be divided into three sections: portraits, abstraction and the Italian diaspora which comprises one work per artist, spread across the Central Pavilion and the Arsenale. The portraits section will feature 112 artists including Selwyn Wilson, Cícero Dias, Yêdamaria, Laura Rodig, Rómulo Rozo, Inji Aflatoun, Grace Salome Kwami, Lee Quede and Gerard Sekoto.

“Abstraction” will feature Sandy Adsett, Fanny Sanín, Etel Adnan, Eduardo Terrazas and Samia Halaby. The section devoted to the worldwide Italian artistic diaspora in the 20th century features artists such as Lidy Prati, Nenne Sanguineti Poggi, Gianni Bertini and Lina Bo Bardi.

The outgoing president of the Biennale, Roberto Cicutto, highlighted the political dimension of the Venice Biennale. The last Biennale in 2022 was “prophetic given the tragic events over the past four years… [against the backdrop of] Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Hamas attack and the tragic consequences [of Israel’s bombardment] of the Gaza strip.” The Biennale is a “privileged vantage point [from which one] can curate the world”, he added. Cicutto is set to be replaced by the right-wing commentator Pietrangelo Buttafuoco.

Full list of invited artists

1. Pacita Abad

2. Mariam Abdel-Aleem

3. Etel Adnan

4. Sandy Adsett

5. Affandi

6. Zubeida Agha

7. Dia al-Azzawi

8. Claudia Alarcón & Silät

9. Rafa al-Nasiri

10. Miguel Alandia Pantoja

11. Aloïse

12. Giulia Andreani

13. Claudia Andujar

14. María Aranís Valdivia

15. Aravani Art Project

16. Iván Argote

17. Karimah Ashadu

18. Dana Awartani

19. Aycoobo (Wilson Rodríguez)

20. Margarita Azurdia

21. Leilah Babirye

22. Libero Badii

23. Ezekiel Baroukh

24. Baya

25. Aly Ben Salem

26. Semiha Berksoy

27. Gianni Bertini

28. Lina Bo Bardi

29. Maria Bonomi

30. Bordadoras de Isla Negra

31. Victor Brecheret

32. Huguette Caland

33. Sol Calero

34. Elda Cerrato

35. Mohammed Chebaa

36. Georgette Chen

37. Galileo Chini

38. Kudzanai Chiurai

39. Isaac Chong Wai

40. Saloua Raouda Choucair

41. Chaouki Choukini

42. Chua Mia Tee

43. Claire Fontaine

44. Manauara Clandestina

45. River Claure

46. Julia Codesido

47. Liz Collins

48. Jaime Colson

49. Waldemar Cordeiro

50. Monika Correa

51. Beatriz Cortez

52. Olga Costa

53. Miguel Covarrubias

54. Victor Juan Cúnsolo

55. Andrés Curruchich

56. Rosa Elena Curruchich

57. Djanira da Motta e Silva

58. Olga De Amaral

59. Filippo de Pisis

60. Juan Del Prete

61. Pablo Delano

62. Emiliano Di Cavalcanti

63. Danilo Di Prete

64. Cícero Dias

65 – 104. Disobedience Archive – Marco Scotini

with Ursula Biemann, Black Audio-Film Collective, Seba Calfuqueo, Simone Cangelosi, Cinéastes pour les sans-papiers, Critical Art Ensemble, Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing, Marcelo Expósito, Maria Galindo & Mujeres Creando, Barbara Hammer, mixrice, Khaled Jarrar, Sara Jordenö, Bani Khoshnoudi, Maria Kourkouta & Niki Giannari, Pedro Lemebel, LIMINAL & Border Forensics, Angela Melitopoulos, Jota Mombaça, Carlos Motta, Zanele Muholi, Pınar Öğrenci, Daniela Ortiz, Thunska Pansittivorakul, Anand Patwardhan, Pilot TV Collective, Queerocracy, Oliver Ressler and Zanny Begg, Carole Roussopoulos, Güliz Sağlam, Irwan Ahmett & Tita Salina, Tejal Shah, Chi Yin Sim, Hito Steyerl, Sweatmother, Raphaël Grisey and Bouba Touré, Nguyễn Trinh Thi, James Wentzy, Želimir Žilnik

105. Juana Elena Diz

106. Tarsila do Amaral

107. Saliba Douaihy

108. Dullah

109. Inji Efflatoun

110. Uzo Egonu

111. Mohammad Ehsaei

112. Hatem El Mekki

113. Aref El Rayess

114. Ibrahim El-Salahi

115. Elyla

116. Ben Enwonwu

117. Romany Eveleigh

118. Hamed Ewais

119. Dumile Feni

120. Alessandra Ferrini

121. Cesare Ferro Milone

122. Raquel Forner

123. Simone Forti

124. Victor Fotso Nyie

125. Louis Fratino

126. Paolo Gasparini

127. Sàngódáre Gbádégesin Àjàlá

128. Umberto Giangrandi

129. Madge Gill

130. Marlene Gilson

131. Luigi Domenico Gismondi

132. Domenico Gnoli

133. Gabrielle Goliath

134. Brett Graham

135. Fred Graham

136. Enrique Grau Araújo

137. Oswaldo Guayasamín

138. Nedda Guidi

139. Hendra Gunawan

140. Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic

141. Marie Hadad

142. Samia Halaby

143. Tahia Halim

144. Lauren Halsey

145. Nazek Hamdi

146. Mohamed Hamidi

147. Faik Hassan

148. Kadhim Hayder

149. Gilberto Hernández Ortega

150. Carmen Herrera

151. Evan Ifekoya

152. Julia Isídrez

153. Mohammed Issiakhem

154. Elena Izcue Cobián

155. María Izquierdo

156. Nour Jaouda

157. Rindon Johnson

158. Joyce Joumaa*

159. Mohammed Kacimi

160. Frida Kahlo

161. Nazira Karimi*

162. George Keyt

163. Bhupen Khakhar

164. Bouchra Khalili

165. Kiluanji Kia Henda

166. Linda Kohen

167. Shalom Kufakwatenzi

168. Ram Kumar

169. Fred Kuwornu

170. Grace Salome Kwami

171. Lai Foong Moi

172. Wifredo Lam

173. Judith Lauand

174. Maggie Laubser

175. Simon Lekgetho

176. Celia Leyton Vidal

177. Lim Mu Hue

178. Romualdo Locatelli

179. Bertina Lopes

180. Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato

181. Anita Magsaysay-Ho

182. MAHKU (Movimento dos Artistas Huni Kuin)

183. Esther Mahlangu

184. Anna Maria Maiolino

185. Anita Malfatti

186. Ernest Mancoba

187. Edna Manley

188. Josiah Manzi

189. Teresa Margolles

190. Maria Martins

191. María Martorell

192. Mataaho Collective

193. Naminapu Maymuru-White

194. Mohamed Melehi

195. Carlos Mérida

196. Gladys Mgudlandlu

197. Omar Mismar

198. Sabelo Mlangeni

199. Tina Modotti

200. Bahman Mohasses

201. Roberto Montenegro

202. Camilo Mori Serrano

203. Ahmed Morsi

204. Effat Naghi

205. Ismael Nery

206. Malangatana Valente Ngwenya

207. Paula Nicho

208. Costantino Nivola

209. Taylor Nkomo

210. Marina Núñez del Prado

211. Philomé Obin

212. Sénèque Obin

213. Alejandro Obregón

214. Tomie Ohtake

215. Uche Okeke

216. Marco Ospina

217. Samia Osseiran Junblatt

218. Daniel Otero Torres

219. Lydia Ourahmane

220. Pan Yuliang

221. Dalton Paula

222. Amelia Peláez

223. George Pemba

224. Fulvio Pennacchi

225. Claudio Perna

226. Emilio Pettoruti

227. Lê Phổ

228. Bona Pieyre De Mandiargues

229. Ester Pilone

230. La Chola Poblete

231. Charmaine Poh

232. Maria Polo

233. Candido Portinari

234. Sandra Poulson*

235. B. Prabha

236. Lidy Prati

237. Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo)

238. Lee Qoede

239. Agnes Questionmark*

240. Violeta Quispe

241. Alfredo Ramos Martinez

242. Sayed Haider Raza

243. Armando Reverón

244. Emma Reyes

245. Diego Rivera

246. Juana Marta Rodas

247. Laura Rodig Pizarro

248. Abel Rodríguez

249. Aydeé Rodriguez Lopez

250. Freddy Rodriguez

251. Miguel Ángel Rojas

252. Rosa Rolanda

253. Jamini Roy

254. Rómulo Rozo

255. Erica Rutherford

256. José Sabogal

257. Mahmoud Sabri

258. Syed Sadequain

259. Nena Saguil

260. Mahmoud Saïd

261. Kazuya Sakai

262. Ione Saldanha

263. Dean Sameshima

264. Zilia Sánchez

265. Bárbara Sánchez-Kane

266. Nenne Sanguineti Poggi

267. Fanny Sanín

268. Aligi Sassu

269. Greta Schödl

270. Ana Segovia

271. Gerard Sekoto

272. Jewad Selim

273. Lorna Selim

274. Joshua Serafin

275. Kang Seung Lee

276. Gino Severini

277. Amrita Sher-Gil

278. Anwar Jalal Shemza

279. Yinka Shonibare

280. Doreen Sibanda

281. Fadjar Sidik

282. Gazbia Sirry

283. Lucas Sithole

284. Francis Newton Souza

285. Joseph Stella

286. Irma Stern

287. Leopold Strobl

288. Emiria Sunassa

289. Superflex

290. Armodio Tamayo

291. Maria Taniguchi

292. Evelyn Taocheng Wang

293. Lucy Tejada

294. Mariana Telleria

295. Güneş Terkol

296. Eduardo Terrazas

297. Clorindo Testa

298. Salman Toor

299. Frieda Toranzo Jaeger

300. Horacio Torres

301. Joaquin Torres-Garcìa

302. Mario Tozzi

303. Twins Seven Seven

304. Ahmed Umar

305. Unidentified Chilean women artists, Arpillera

306. Rubem Valentim

307. Edoardo Daniele Villa

308. Eliseu Visconti

309. Alfredo Volpi

310. Kay WalkingStick

311. WangShui

312. Agnes Waruguru

313. Barrington Watson

314. Osmond Watson

315. Susanne Wenger

316. Emmi Whitehorse

317. Selwyn Wilson

318. Chang Woosoung

319. Celeste Woss y Gil

320. Xiyadie

321. Rember Yahuarcani

322. Santiago Yahuarcani

323. Nil Yalter

324. Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami

325. André Taniki Yanomami

326. Yêdamaria

327. Ramses Younan

328. Kim YunShin

329. Fahrelnissa Zeid

330. Anna Zemánková

331. Bibi Zogbé

Wall Art Market size is forecast to grow by $34.77 billion during 2022-2031, accelerating at a CAGR of 5.6% according to a new research report

By in Art World News

Wall Art Market size is forecast to grow by $34.77 billion during 2022-2031, accelerating at a CAGR of 5.6% according to a new research report

The market for wall art is expanding rapidly, even in emerging economies where home accessories and other related goods are finding great success on the market. Due to the expansion of the real estate sector in major cities and the shift from traditional to urban living, the impact of this aspect on the wall art market is anticipated to grow during the projected period.

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Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, “Wall Art Market by Type (Modern, Abstract, Others), by Price Point (Premium, Mass), by Sales Channel (Auction Houses, Specialty Stores, E-commerce, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031.”

As per the report, the global wall art industry was estimated at $20.40billion in 2021, and is set to reach $34.77 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios.

📚 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝐏𝐃𝐅 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 at www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request…mple/17281

Rise in disposable income, increase in the global population, and thriving real estate sector drive the growth of the global wall art market. A massive increment in the number of households due to urbanization will promote global market growth trends. Growing demand for modern and abstract wall art across the commercial and residential sectors is predicted to create new growth opportunities for the global market. However, fluctuations in raw material costs can put brakes on the global market expansion.

The market will expand due to the home decor sector’s quick development and expansion in developing economies. Since manufacturers are concentrating on creating innovative wall paintings and drawings, the wall art market demand for abstract and modern wall art from the residential and commercial sectors is rising. This is projected to have an impact on the wall art market growth over the course of the forecast period. One of the factors propelling the wall art market’s growth over the forecast period is the movement of people from rural to urban areas, where they are embracing the modern lifestyle. But the market’s expansion is being constrained by shifting raw material prices.

The global wall art market is segmented into type, price point, sales channel, and region. By type, the market is divided into modern, abstract, and others. Among these, the abstract segment occupied the major wall art market share of the market in 2021, and is projected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. Modern art that does not depict imagery from the real world is called abstract art. Even though it features color, lines, and shapes, neither of them is intended to resemble actual objects or live beings. The abstract concepts and ideas frequently had an impact on the works of art. As a result, abstract wall art is greatly demanded by consumers.

Enquiry Before Buying : www.alliedmarketresearch.com/-enquiry/17281

According to the estimate for the global market for wall art, North America held the largest share of the market in 2021 and is expected to keep doing so in the near future. The increase in consumer spending on high-end home design and décor items and the rise in living standards are driving the growth of wall art market in North America region. Sales in this area are further boosted by a well-developed retail infrastructure and celebrity brand endorsements. Additionally, the U.S. is anticipated to expand at the greatest CAGR because of its fast-developing infrastructure and alterations in consumer behavior brought on by an increase in disposable income.

The COVID-19 epidemic had an adverse effect on the global market for wall art. The pandemic’s disruption of the supply chain, shortage of raw material availability, and restrictions on the transit of commodities had an effect on the market for wall art. Additionally, delays and disruptions at national borders have made it difficult to export and supply wall art around the globe.

One of the reasons affecting the sales of wall art is the expanding social media. The majority of Americans have acknowledged that they get more of their decorating ideas from publications, the houses of their friends and family, television shops,. The manufacturers are also increasing their social media presence in an effort to increase customer awareness of new product introductions and drive sales. Due to the growing numbers of millennials and generation X, the effective marketing strategies are also very common in the nation.

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞
• Etsy, Society 6,
• Saatchi art,
• 1000 Museums,
• Paintru,
• Artfinder,
• Redbubble,
• Schoolhouse,
• Urban Outfitters,
• Rifle Paperco,
• One Kings Lane,
• Big Wall Decor,
• Wayfair,
• Z Gallerie, and
• Art.com.

𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘
• By type, the abstract segment was the highest revenue contributor to the market, with $9,798.2 million in 2021, and is estimated to reach $16,480.3 million by 2031, with a CAGR of 5.5%.
• Depending on price point, the mass segment was the highest revenue contributor to the market, with $12,294.9 million in 2021, and is estimated to reach $20,385.1 million by 2031, with a CAGR of 5.4%.
• As per sales channel, the specialty stores segment was the highest revenue contributor to the market, with $9,845.1 million in 2021, and is estimated to reach $16,401.8 million by 2031, with a CAGR of 5.4%.
• Region wise, North America was the highest revenue contributor, accounting for $7,895.3 million in 2021, and is estimated to reach $12,621.8 million by 2031, with a CAGR of 5.0%.

𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
According to CXOs of leading companies, rising interest in giving homes and offices an aesthetic look, increasing demand for wall art from the construction industry to provide furnished and ready-to-live homes, increasing applications of décor in spas, salons, restaurants, and other establishments, rising preferences for the use of customized decorative products, and increasing demand for specific design of decoration are some of the significant and essential factors that will likely accelerate the growth of the wall art market. On the other hand, growing adoption of smartphones and internet portals, together with the prevalence of better sales channels, would further contribute by producing enormous chances that will led to the rise of the wall art market during the forecast period.

Another major driver of the demand for wall art is rising consumer disposable income. High-paying customers rarely give such purchases for their homes much thought. The changing tastes and preferences of customers as well as their changing lifestyles are contributing to this rise in demand for wall art. Additionally, the real estate market in developed nations like the U.S., Germany, the UK, and France, among others, has seen a considerable uptick in recent years, which is fueling demand for home lifestyle items like wall art. Another element boosting demand for wall art is GDP growth in developed nations.

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Photographer Brian Griffin, Who Shot Depeche Mode’s Iconic Album Covers, Dies

By in Photography

Photographer Brian Griffin, Who Shot Depeche Mode’s Iconic Album Covers, Dies
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Influential music photographer Brian Griffin, who shot Depeche Mode’s first five iconic album covers, has died.

Clash Magazine reports that Griffins, who is widely acknowledged as one of the most prominent music photographers of his generation, passed away on Monday at the age of 75.

Griffins, who was born in Birmingham, U.K., was working an industrial job in a factory when he took up photography as a hobby and joined a local camera club.

Griffin’s hobby eventually became his profession when he moved to London in 1972 and took a job as a corporate photographer for Management Today magazine.

Griffin’s move to London also came around the same time as punk music was emerging and he started shooting bands for independent record label Stiff Records.

His photography experience shooting businessmen translated perfectly to the bands of the time who also dressed in suits and ties, such as The Jam and Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

Over the following years, Griffin went on to shoot iconic portraits and album covers for music artists such as Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux, R.E.M., Echo & The Bunnymen, Billy Idol, Iggy Pop, Ringo Starr, Queen, and Peter Gabriel.

A Pioneer of ‘Capitalist Realism’ in Photography

However, it was Griffin’s artistic partnership with Depeche Mode that defined his career and shot him to fame. Griffin took the photographs for the band’s first five albums.

Griffin’s cover image for Depeche Mode’s 1982 album A Broken Frame, which depicted a woman working and cutting grain in a field, was inspired by the socialist photography of Soviet Russia. The image would later be named Photograph Of The Decade by Time in 1990.

Griffin’s photograph for A Broken Frame also appeared on the cover of Life’s 1990 edition of “World’s Best Photographs 1980–1990” — and helped earn him the title of “photographer of the decade” by The Guardian in 1989.

In an interview with the British Journal of Photography in 2016, Griffin described how his pioneering visual style, which has been since been referred to as “Capitalist Realism,” was influenced his father’s death by lung cancer caused by years of working in an industry factory.

In his photographs, Griffin drew upon the backgrounds of his subjects — many of whom were workers and tradesmen — and learned about their poor working conditions. In his portraits, which sometimes resemble paintings, these subjects are elevated to a different, almost royal, status through their poses.

Griffin left photography behind in the 1990s to start a production company. However, he returned to the craft in the early 2000s to shoot a documentary for Sir Paul McCartney in 2004.

Brian Griffin, photographer of rock stars and construction workers, has died aged 75

By in Photography

Brian Griffin, photographer of rock stars and construction workers, has died aged 75

“He was a real innovator,” says Martin Parr, remembering fellow British photographer and longtime friend, Brian Griffin, who died at home in London last weekend, aged 75. “He really livened up the whole world of portraiture. They [his portraits] were so recognisably his. No one had ever seen anything like them. And not many photographers can say that.”

Griffin is best known for his iconic album covers, such as Depeche Mode’s A Broken Frame (1982) and Joe Jackson’s Look Sharp (1979), but he was much more than a rock photographer, injecting surreal narrative and noir lighting into commercial and editorial commissions, while pursuing his own projects. Griffin made no distinction between personal and assignment work; he put equal energy and ambition into both, always looking to create some playful visual disruption and make lasting, meaningful photographs.

He grew up in the Black Country in the English Midlands, attributing the sights and sounds of heavy industry as a major influence upon his imagery.

Brian Griffin, Liam, Steel Worker (2007). From the project Team Photo, for the opening of the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras station © Brian Griffin Estate

Griffin gave up a job at British Steel at the end of the 1960s to study photography at Manchester Polytechnic, where he met Parr and Daniel Meadows. Afterwards, he moved to London to begin his storied freelance career, taking a portfolio of photographs of ballroom dancers to Roland Schenk at Management Today. The celebrated Swiss art director immediately saw his potential and encouraged the young photographer’s flights of imagination in the most unlikely setting of corporate portraiture.

His personal documentary work featured in landmark exhibitions in the 1970s, when Britain’s art establishment began taking photography seriously, including Hayward Gallery’s first major survey of contemporary practice, Three Perspectives (1979). The 1980s were, however, his undoubted peak. Indeed, the Guardian hailed him “the photographer of the decade”. Many of his most famous images of musicians (Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux and Elvis Costello, to name but a few) were made during this time, as was his most memorable large-scale commission, celebrating the completion of the Broadgate project in the City of London.

Brian Griffin, Rush Hour, London Bridge (1974). Commissioned by Roland Schenk for Management Today © Brian Griffin Estate

He was widely recognised for Work, published in 1988, one of many often self-published books he produced throughout his career. And following an exhibition at the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival in 1987, alongside the first showing of Nan Goldin’s Ballad of Sexual Dependency outside the US, dozens more shows followed, at home in the UK and across Europe.

Throughout the 1990s, Griffin worked primarily as a director of TV commercials and music videos, returning to photography in 2002 and picking up where he left off, shooting memorable campaigns for Reykjavik Energy, the completion of the HSI railway, the city of Marseilles, and a prized commission for the London Olympic Games in 2012. And among the dozens of books and shows he produced over the past 15 years, there were retrospectives in the UK, Iceland, Italy and Georgia. In 2021 he published what was to be the first half of his autobiography, Black Country Dada, designed by Cafeteria, with whom he was planning to do the second part later this year.

“This remarkable generation came out of Manchester Polytechnic, which included Brian and Martin Parr and Daniel Meadows,” says the collector and gallerist James Hyman, who founded the Centre for British Photography. “And the three of them have been absolutely fundamental, in their different ways, in the development of British photography over a 50 year period. He’s got a central place in that history, and he was also a very individual voice.”

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