Edmund Clark HonFRPS is a British artist and photographer whose work explores politics, representation, incarceration and control. His research based work combines a range of references and forms including bookmaking, installations, photography, video, documents, text and found images and material. Several of his projects explore the War on Terror.
His notable projects include Guantanamo: If The Light Goes Out, Control Order House, The Mountains of Majeed, and Negative Publicity: Artefacts of Extraordinary Rendition (in collaboration with researcher and writer Crofton Black). Edmund Clark's awards include the 2009 International Photography Award from The British Journal of Photography, 2016 Rencontres d'Arles Photo-Text Book Award and 2017 Infinity Award in Documentary and Photojournalism category from International Center of Photography. In 2018 Clark was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society. Edmund Clark was the Ikon Gallery's artist-in-residence at Europe's only wholly therapeutic community prison, HM Prison Grendon from 2014 until 2018. Supported by the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust, the residency culminated in the publication of My Shadow's Reflection (Ikon Gallery: Birmingham and Here Press: London) and a solo exhibition In Place of Hate at Ikon Gallery.
Life and career
Clark worked as a researcher in London and Brussels before gaining a postgraduate diploma in photojournalism at London College of Communication.
He gained access to Guantanamo Bay detention camp and to a house under a control order (housing an individual held under the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011). His book Control Order House is his response to a period he spent staying in a house with a man known as 'CE' who had been placed under a Control Order due to his suspected involvement with terrorist-related activity. Clark spent three days working in the house taking a large number of quick, uncomposed photographs surveying the site. These images, along with architectural plans of the house, redacted documents relating to the case and a diary kept by 'CE' form a portrait of sorts: of the site and its inhabitant and of the structure of legal restriction imposed and represented by the house.
Publications
- Still Life: Killing Time. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2007. ISBN 978-1904587538
- Guantanamo: If the Light Goes Out. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2010. ISBN 978-1904587965
- Control Order House. London: Here, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9574724-0-2. Edition of 250 copies.
- Second edition. London: Here, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9935853-1-9. Edition of 500 copies.
- The Mountains of Majeed. London: Here, 2014. ISBN 978-0-9574724-8-8. 8 photographs, 4 paintings by Majeed, 3 Taliban poems. Edition of 450 copies.
- Negative Publicity: Artefacts of Extraordinary Rendition. New York: Aperture and Magnum Foundation, 2016. ISBN 978-1-59711-351-9.
- Second edition. New York: New York: Aperture and Magnum Foundation, 2017.
- My Shadow's Reflection. London: Here; Birmingham: Ikon Gallery, 2018. ISBN 978-1-911155-15-7. Edition of 1000 copies.
Awards
- 2009: International Photography Award, British Journal of Photography
- 2011: Best Photography Book of the Year at the International Photography Awards/Lucie Awards
- 2011: Best Book of the Year Award at the New York Photo Awards
- 2012: Shortlisted for Prix Pictet: Power
- 2012: Best Book of the Year, Premio Ponchielli, GRIN Italian Photography Editors Association
- 2012: Winner Zeit Magazin Fotopreis
- 2013: John Kobal Foundation Grant
- 2011 & 2013: Best Books of the Year, Kassel Photobook Award
- 2014: Magnum Foundation Grant
- 2011 & 2015: The Roddick Foundation Grant
- 2016: Rencontres d'Arles Photo-Text Book Award
- 2017: W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Fellowship
- 2017: Infinity Award, International Center of Photography
- 2014: Shortlisted for the Prix Pictet for Guantánamo: If the Light Goes Out
- 2018: Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society
Exhibitions
- The Mountains of Majeed, Flowers Gallery, London, 27 February – 4 April 2015
- Edmund Clark: Terror Incognitus, Zephyr, Reiss Engelhorn Museum, Mannheim, 31 January – 3 July 2016
- Edmund Clark: War of Terror, Imperial War Museum, London, 28 July 2016 – 28 August 2017
- In Place of Hate, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, 6 December 2017 – 11 March 2018
- Edmund Clark: The Day the Music Died, International Center of Photography, New York, NY, 26 January – 6 May 2018
- Unseen Conflicts – War on Terror, Parrotta Contemporary Art, Cologne and Bonn, 7 September – 10 November 2018
Permanent collections
- Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
- George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY, USA
- Grinnell College, IA, USA
- Imperial War Museum, London, UK
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA
- National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, UK
- National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
References
- "The long read: Edmund Clark and Crofton Black on the War on Terror". The British Journal of Photography. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Official website". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Lane, Guy (3 November 2010). "If the Light Goes Out: Edmund Clark's pictures of Guantánamo Bay". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Official website". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Clark, Edmund (8 March 2013). "Edmund Clark: control order house". Financial Times. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- O'Hagan, Sean (3 June 2013). "At home with a suspected terrorist". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Official website". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Smyth, Dian (7 July 2015). "Edmund Clark photographed Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base, home to more than 40,000 people". The British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Brook, Pete (24 February 2015). "The 40,000 People on Bagram Air Base Haven't Actually Seen Afghanistan". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Official website". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Bayley, Bruno (22 March 2016). "Exposing the Black Sites Behind Extraordinary Rendition". Vice Magazine. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Abel-Hirsch, Hannah (29 November 2017). "BJP International Photography Award: Past winners". The British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "ANNOUNCING 2016 PHOTO-TEXT BOOK AWARD". Magnum Foundation. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "ICP Announces 2017 Infinity Awards". International Center of Photography. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Green, Miranda (29 November 2017). "In Place of Hate: Edmund Clark's new work from Grendon prison". FT Magazine. Financial Times. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Ramm, Jessica (6 March 2018). "IN PLACE OF HATE". MAP Magazine. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Edmund Clark's immersive study of prison life goes on show at the Ikon Gallery". 1854 Photography. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Prix Pictet Biography". 20 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- "Recent Acquisitions". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- "BJP International Photography Award: Past winners". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "2011 lucie awards – october 24, 2011 rose theatre, jazz at lincoln center, new york". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "IPA Winners 2011".
- "New York Photo Awards 2011 - General Category Winners". Vimeo. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Power: The Fourth Prix Pictet Shortlist". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Ponchielli Prize 2012". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Awards & Grants". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Kassel Photobook Award 2013". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Kassel Photobook Award 2011". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "MAGNUM FOUNDATION EMERGENCY FUND GRANTEES ANNOUNCED!". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "The Roddick Foundation". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "ANNOUNCING 2016 PHOTO-TEXT BOOK AWARD". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "2017 Grant Recipients". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "ICP Announces 2017 Infinity Awards". 10 January 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Edmund Clark - Prix Pictet - The global award in photography and sustainability". www.prixpictet.com. 20 June 2012.
- O'Hagan, Sean (16 August 2012). "Political, provocative, personal: photography to look forward to". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- "The Royal Photographic Society Awards 2018". rps.org. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- "Edmund Clark: The Mountains of Majeed". Flowers Gallery. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Thompson, Marcus (11 February 2015). "The Mythical Beauty of Afghanistan is Invisible to the Military". Vice. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- O'Hagan, Sean (9 February 2015). "The idyllic art of Bagram airbase: Edmund Clark's Mountains of Majeed". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Brook, Pete (24 February 2015). "The 40,000 People on Bagram Air Base Haven't Actually Seen Afghanistan". Wired. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Press release". Zephyr, Reiss Engelhorn Museum. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Press Release" (PDF). Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- King, Alex (22 July 2016). "The artist peering into the darkest corners of the War on Terror: From suburbia to Guantanamo". Huck. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- Herd, Colin (August 2016). Security Measures. Aesthetica.
- "A new exhibition paints the war on terror as a bureaucratic nightmare". The Economist. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Nayeri, Farah (18 August 2016). "An Artist Takes an Unflinching Look at the Fight Against Terror". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Stacey, Joy (3 September 2016). "War of Terror: Edmund Clark at the Imperial War Museum, London". Ibraaz. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Vandenbrouck, Melanie (9 September 2016). "A Frightening Take on the War on Terror at the IWM". Apollo. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Edmund Clark: In Place of Hate". Ikon Gallery. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Fullerton, Elizabeth (15 February 2018). "Bock and Clark share a sensitive approach to their subjects". Apollo. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Duguid, Rosalind (18 January 2018). "Edmund Clark: In Place of Hate". Elephant. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Fairhead, Edward (17 January 2018). "Interview - Edmund Clark". E-International Relations. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Edmund Clark's immersive study of prison life goes on show at the Ikon Gallery". British Journal of Photography. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Green, Miranda (29 November 2017). "In Place of Hate: Edmund Clark's new work from Grendon prison". FT Magazine. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Watkins, Emily (5 April 2017). "Edmund Clark at HMP Grendon". Plinth. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Can, Gülnaz (29 January 2018). "The Day the Music Died: the exhibition pairing Don McLean with Guantánamo Bay". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "War against terrorism through the eyes of Edmund Clark". L’Oeil de la Photographie. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Backman, Marjorie (5 March 2018). "Photographs Trace US Government Abuses, from Manzanar to Guantánamo". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Tauer, Kristen (29 January 2018). "'Edmund Clark: The Day the Music Died' Mounted at ICP Museum". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Phongsirivech, Pimploy (26 January 2018). "Photographer edmund clark urges his audience to contemplate the war on terror". Interview. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Martinique, Elena (22 December 2017). "America's Response to International Terrorism As Seen by Edmund Clark". Widewalls. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Edmund Clark: The Day the Music Died". International Center of Photography. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Edmund Clark: The Mountains of Majeed". Flowers Gallery. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Press release" (PDF). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Press release" (PDF). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Edmund Clark. "Edmund Clark - Artist - Collection". Fotomuseum.ch. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- "George Eastman Museum". Collections.eastman.org. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- "Imperial War Museums". Iwm.org.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- "Collection: CLARK EDMUND (MR) | Imperial War Museums". Iwm.org.uk. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- "The MFAH Collections". Emuseum.mfah.org. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- "Edmund Clark | Science Museum Group Collection".
- "Edmund Clark - National Portrait Gallery".
External links
- Official website
- Edmund Clark on Flowers Gallery website
- Edmund Clark on Parrotta Contemporary Art website
- Edmund Clark on East Wing website
- Biography on Prix pictet
- Edmund Clark Q&A Telegraph