It’s about making images, without having subjects to photograph.
H
Having photographed some of the most famous and infamous artists in the rock world, Peter Anderson has emptied the darkest recesses of his mind to bring us a collection of photograms that are stark, but yet strangely reminiscent of my childhood. Model airplanes and toy soldiers adorn his photograms, casting white shadows on gritty images of rock stars and broken buildings. Anderson's work is gripping because it allows objects to become stencils, breaking up the barren black or shades of grey they are mounted on. This is great brain fodder.
This exhibition goes beyond the lens, because Anderson literally creates photographs. There is ingenuity at work that allows you to see layers, rather than simply depth, in the finished photogram. These are photographic collages of toys and images and at times the work seems pieced together, a model kit for the viewer to assemble.
"I got into photography through coming to London and I applied to do a post graduate course, after doing a degree in design in Glasgow. The course was self structured, you had to basically make up the course for yourself and that didn’t work for me. So I just did what I wanted to do, went out to clubs and started making photographs."
The phrase ‘making photographs’ became literal in this exhibition, but this process was after years of work in the music world. After securing work at NME after his post graduate course he produced some of his most iconic photographs of the 1980s. He was working flat out, but became despondent with the commissions he was getting.
"It’s only over the last couple of years or so I have been trying to do something different, instead of that whole thing about making photographs for instant reproduction. Instead I decided to make things to go on walls."
He talks with great energy about his work ‘making photographs’ and the process of his photograms. His studio is a veritable playground of broken toys, huge enlargers and large developing trays.
"It’s about hands on darkroom stuff. It’s about the imagery that’s all around me. All the objects I’ve used I’ve found in the local junk market or just lying around."
Anderson uses this 'junk' to bring a unique perspective to his portraits. You will see a large portrait of Henry Rollins with a grenade and spider chemically burned into a photogram and you feel a sense of the inner nature of Rollins’ hardcore persona. Some of his photograms do have a hardcore edge to them, and this has been mistaken for pro-war sentiment.
"Someone said ‘This is all a about violence and war’ and I said well if I provoke a reaction that’s fine, but it’s anti-war. These are things we sell to children. What does that say about us?"
Anderson’s exhibition will be at the Book Club until the end of February.
The Book Club
100 Leonard Street
London EC2A 4RH
http://www.wearetbc.com/
020 7684 8618
Peter Anderson
http://www.photopeteranderson.com/
http://www.photoanderson.co.uk/
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the OAP. The collection is an intimate look at the bingo world, from the dazzle of the podium to grannies in stockings. Hess’ work personalises the world of bingo, and the photographs have a distinctly human aspect to them. This is more of a commentary than a selection of documentary photographs, containing an air of solidarity between ‘bingoists’. His editorial style has you looking for the story behind the images and these are provided by his girlfriend Maxine Gallagher. The exhibition and the book 
Mixing the large prints with smaller ones, which hunger for attention, gives the viewer the sense of both the grandiose and cosy nature of the bingo hall. To Hess bingo halls are 'a small space with amazing characters. There are flashing neon lights and references to Vegas everywhere. They really wanted to make it as timeless as possible, but you see signs of better times. There are so many empty chairs; only about 10% are used these days. Bingo is on the verge of dying out in the UK', which makes this exhibition all the more poignant.
front of the lens and Hess has documented the camaraderie with warmth and depth. He shot up close and personal, which he didn't find to be too difficult with his subject matter, 'it was really surprising how open the older generation were. The younger generation tended to be more conscious of the way they look and might be portrayed in the book, but the older people welcomed you in, which is very much the social aspect of the bingo hall.'
sue, 13. January, 2011 | #
Emanuela Franchini, 15. December, 2010 | #
sue, 03. December, 2010 | #
Emma Stack, 03. December, 2010 | #