The Photographer's Gallery - Summer Edition
The Photographers Gallery Summer Edition Alex Prager, Tish Murtha & Shirley Baker 15 JUNE – 14 OCTOBER (Baker 28 JULY) £4 Entrance for all Galleries - £2.50 Concessions
The Photographers Gallery has some excellent works on display for you to feast your eyes on this summer. Whilst Murtha and Baker explore documentary photography of working class Britain, Prager’s work is a complete opposite: large-scale and large-budget staged photographs and films.
Murtha and Baker choose black and white photography to document the times, probably due in part to the period they were taken (from 1950 – 1990), but also to accentuate the bleak outlook of life for the subjects. Baker is famous for her depiction of working class terraced streets in Manchester and Salford, however, it was her works with a hidden message which stuck out most to me. The image above has the word ‘HONESTY’ largely spread across its central frame – next to this word are a couple engaged in physical affection: a direct reminder that a relationship without trust is not much of a relationship at all. Baker’s works are exhibited for a shorter time than her counterparts, and are placed in the Print Sales Gallery – therefore available to purchase.
Murtha’s work centres on social deprivation and instability in Britain. Taken from the mid-1970s up to the 1990s and shot in her hometown, series such as Newport Pub, Elswick Kids, Youth Unemployment and Juvenile Jazz have helped her make a solid name for herself. Whilst the majority of her work is based in Northern England, she was also commissioned for series London Nights: an extraordinary and gritty project based on the sex industry in Soho during the 80s.
Despite Murtha’s subjects being of a lower social class and undeniably going through tough times, she manages to retain their dignity and spirit in a classy and respectful way. For, despite their circumstances, Murtha’s subjects are seen smiling, playing: happy and joyous and do not seem to be without hope and in pain. In series London Nights, subject Karen Leslie describes the “fake dead touching that didn’t touch them or me” and overall experience as “like being awake in a nightmare”. However, the images portray something quite different. Whilst the male gaze dominates the female, she manages to retain composure in her self-awareness and knowledge that she holds a peculiar power over the men seen. The subtle pain and undercover melancholy of Leslie’s life are not necessarily evident throughout the photos, therefore retaining her composure, dignity and power.
In stark contrast to Murtha’s gritty grey snaps are Prager’s hyper-real and overtly colourful staged photographs. Working in an opposite way, Prager simulates situations rather than documents them for her works, leaving her able to produce the perfect photograph without having to have the quick eye and pot luck which are both essential to the practice of documentary photography. Prager’s works are remarkably artistic and beautifully composed, both the colours and shapes jutting out at the viewer and demanding to be seen. Combining the world of art, fashion, film and photography, Prager is able to construct an exhibition of her works which are rather fragmented, but work together excellently as a unified whole.
Particular works which stood out to me was the image of what appears to be a Las Vegas hangout: gorgeous, gregarious women are engulfed in a cloud of cigarette smoke and synthetic wigs. Not only are the subjects beautiful, but the entire image has a really striking composition: as though it could have been natural, but would have been awfully lucky to capture if it were. A second work which made an impression was Prager’s short film Face in the Crowd: running at 11 minutes and 52 seconds and starring Elizabeth banks. The immersive, three-channel installation features a series of confessional monologues from all walks of life. Interplayed with anxiety-inducing crowd scenes, the film plays on the notions of anonymity and loneliness of life in a big city.
Overall, the Photographer’s Gallery has some excellent works on display this summer. The contrast between Prager and Murtha’s work helps to keep the experience interesting and fresh whilst all exhibits explore an array of different subjects and emotions. Put simply, for a price as small as £4 you’d be a fool to miss it.
OVERALL RATING: ****
https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/shirley-baker-personal-collection https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/tish-murtha-works-1976-1991 https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/alex-prager-silver-lake-drive
