Gem Fletcher chats to Charlie Engman. Charlie originally trained as a movement artist as well as studying Japanese and Korean Studies before arriving at photography as a form of visual notation. Now working between commercial and fine art, he is focused on pushing the scope and visual possibility of the world around him. His first monograph, MOM, a collection of images of his mother made over the course of a decade, was recently published and explores ideas of categories, roles, power dynamics, performativity, the expectations and codes of society as well as the relationship they share as collaborators and mother and son. In this episode we talk about the dynamics in photography, the role of context and positionality, performativity and so much more.  Charlie’s commissioned work has appeared in publications such as AnOther Magazine, Dazed, Garage, POP, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Unemployed, and American Vogue and has been used by clients such as Prada, Marni, Adidas, Hermès, Kenzo, Nike, Opening Ceremony, Pucci, Sonia Rykiel, Stella McCartney, and Vivienne Westwood. Charlie has expanded his talents to both styling and design, most recently collaborating with Collina Strada Resort on the design for the 2020 collection. His first monograph, MOM, a collection of images of his mother made over the course of more than a decade, will be published by Edition Patrick Frey in Spring 2020. This body of work was also exhibited as a solo show at Scrap Metal, Toronto. Charlie is based in Brooklyn, New York. Follow Charlie on Instagram @charlieengman on Instagram and visit www.charlieengman.com to see his work. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Gem Fletcher chats to Lesley A. Martin, creative director of Aperture. She has edited over one hundred books including collaborations with Zanele Muholi, La Toya Ruby Frazier, Richard Mosse, Hank Willis Thomas, Rinko Kawauchi, Antwaun Sargent, and Sara Cwynar to name just a few. She is also the publisher of The PhotoBook Review, a newsprint journal dedicated to the evolving conversation surrounding the photobook. Her writing on photography has been published in Aperture, Ojo de Pez, FOAM, and IMA magazine, among other publications, and in 2012, she co-founded the Paris Photo-Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards. She is currently a visiting critic at the Yale University School of Art.In this conversation, we discuss Lesley’s personal relationship to the platform of the book and the wider community. We reflect on the current state of photobook publishing and what it can offer a body of work. We talk about audience, the impact of self-publishing, how to decipher the most compelling pathway through a body of work and how to shepherd a project through a constantly shifting context. We talk about methodology, commitment as well as the rich history of the photobook.  Follow Lesley on Instagram @la.martin_ Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Gem Fletcher chats to writer and curator Ekow Eshun. His writing has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, Granta, Wired and Aperture. He is Chair of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, overseeing London’s most significant public art programme, and the former director of the ICA. In this conversation, we discuss how his upbringing in London informed his creative work. We discuss what he is looking for in emerging artists and his devotion to Black culture. We unpack his latest book Africa State of Mind that gathers together the work of an emergent generation of photographers from across Africa, including both the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. It is both a summation of new photographic practice from the last decade and an exploration of how contemporary photographers from the continent are exploring ideas of ‘Africanness’ to reveal Africa to be a psychological space as much as a physical territory – a state of mind as much as a geographical place. Dispensing with the western colonial-era view of Africa in purely geographic or topographic terms. The book is presented in four thematic parts: Hybrid Cities; Inner Landscapes; Zones of Freedom; and Myth and Memory. We move on to talk about his role as a guest curator in the Barbican’s Masculinities: Liberation through Photography exhibition. We talk about the camera as an ally or enabler in addition to a tool of violence and oppression. We talk about motivation, unlearning and the constant commitment to the work. Africa State of Mind By Ekow Eshun is published by Thames & Hudson and is available now.Follow Ekow on Instagram @ekoweshun. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gem chats to Laia Abril. Laia is a research-based artist working with photography, text, video and sound. She began her career at the iconic Colors Magazine, which left an indelible mark on how she thinks about process, authorship and collaboration. Now, her art practice is centred on creating a dialogue about hidden realities related to sexuality and gender inequality. In this episode, we talk about her long term project, A History of Misogyny. Chapter 1 - On Abortion is a gut-wrenching exploration of the repercussions of not having access to abortion and her latest chapter On Rape, aims to call out institutional rape culture. She looks at why structures of justice, law and policy are not only failing survivors but actually encouraging perpetrators by preserving power dynamics which normalise sexual violence. In this episode, we talk about her methodology and how it evolves over time, how she thinks about audience and how she navigates the emotional weight of the subject matter. For me, Laia is one of the most important artists working today, her work is about starting conversations around urgent issues to play her role in creating a more empathetic and safe world. Laia Abril (1986) is currently based in Barcelona and represented by the Parisian gallery Les Filles du Calvaire. After graduating from college with a degree in Journalism she moved to New York to focus on photography where she decided to start telling intimate stories that raise uneasy and hidden realities related with sexuality, eating disorders and gender equality. In 2009, she enrolled in the artist residency at FABRICA, the Benetton Research Centre in Treviso, where she worked as a researcher, photo editor and staff photographer at Colors Magazine for 5 years. Abril’s projects are produced across platforms such as installations, books, web docs, and films. Her work has been shown widely and published internationally and is held in private collections and museums, such as Musée de l’Elysée and Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland, FRAC in France and MNAC or FotoColectania in Barcelona. Follow Laia on Instagram @laia_abril on Instagram and visit www.laiaabril.com to see her work. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] The content of this podcast could be triggering for some listeners. We discuss topics including eating disorders, sexual violence, abortion, child abuse and trauma. Do take care and if this episode could be harmful to you. Thanks for listening.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gem chats to Quil Lemons, a New York-based artist who has really crafted a distinct visual language which interrogates ideas around masculinity, queerness, race and beauty. His first body of work ‘GlitterBoy’, a tender portrait series of Black men and boys adorned in glitter, examined the shifting notions of gender and beauty as they relate to masculinity in the black community. The project laid the foundation for his bold and daring work that straddles art and fashion.“I got into photography to preserve my existence, to document my family and what it means to be a black American. I think we are going through a really special moment in America when it comes to image-making when you get to see so many black photographers and creators get to rectify the lack of documentation and cement our existence in American history. It's wild to see history be written in real-time. I think about The New Black Vanguard and how my grandmother is pictured in the same book as Beyonce, celebrating a new form of black beauty.” In this conversation we talk about everything from family, community, personal style, art making, speaking out, shooting in a pandemic and how he blurs the lines between art and fashion.  Follow Quil on Instagram @quillemons on Instagram and visit https://quillemons.com to see her work. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gem chats to Farah Al Qasimi. While her primary line of inquiry examines postcolonial structures of power, gender and taste in the Gulf Arab states, what galvanises the work is her unique ability to embed meaning into visual aesthetics. Farah describes her aesthetic approach as 'so muchness'. Her frames overflow with a heady mix of print, objects and domestic interiors amplified by the tension between harsh lighting and an acidic colour palette. Together they transport us into her psyche, an intimate imagining of her world.In this conversation, we talk about her journey, her process and what photography means to her. We talk about her recent exhibition Funhouse at Helena Anrather in New York, it’s genesis and how it speaks to key themes within her practice. We talk about performativity, paying attention to your own sensitivity’s and how they can be guiding principles in making work. We discuss how she uses the world as raw material, rather than a direct subject. In doing this she builds worlds in which geography does not matter in order to access a psychic space that defies language.Farah Al Qasimi (b.1991, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; lives and works in Brooklyn and Dubai) works in photography, video, and performance. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai; the San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco; the CCS Bard Galleries at the Hessel Museum of Art, New York; Helena Anrather, New York; The Third Line, Dubai; The List Visual Arts Center at MIT, Cambridge; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto; and the Houston Center for Photography, Houston.Follow Farah on Instagram @frequentlyaskedquestion on Instagram and visit https://farahalqasimi.com/ to see her work. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Gem Fletcher celebrates some of the personal projects, assignments and exhibitions that have been her highlights from the year. Despite the tough reality of 2020, some incredible work has been made, published and exhibited, some of which Gem has already talked about this season and many more which will be discussed in Season 4 that kicks off in January 2021. In this episode, she is in conversation with Alona Pardo, Silvia Rosi, Maggie Shannon, Camila Falquez and Sarah Allen about the research, ideas and development that went into their projects. The work in this episode rethinks what photography can do and the more progressive ways it can operate.Projects covered:‘Masculinities: Liberation through Photography’ curated by Alona Pardo for The BarbicanExhibition and Guided Tour with Alona Pardo‘Visions of Black Style’ by artist Silvia Rosi for The New Yorker‘Extreme Pain, but also, Extreme Joy’ photographed by Maggie Shannon published by The New York Times.‘Zanele Muholi’ curated by Sarah Allen for Tate Modern.Exhibition, Zanele Muholi Interview and From a Place of Love Film in collaboration with Tate Exchange.Being in History by Camila FalquezFollow today's guests: Alona Pardo @alona_pardoSilvia Rosi @slyrosiMaggie Shannon @maggiehshannonSarah Allen @sarah___allenCamila Falquez @camilafalquezFollow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gem chats to Sara Urbaez, a photo editor with extensive experience in both brand and editorial spaces. Sara extensive career has seen her work in photo departments at Apple, Airbnb, Wired, Art+ Auction and Modern Painters.Motivated by photography’s long history of preventing cultures from representing themselves and the dire lack of diverse storytelling in the industry, Sara founded Listo – a platform devoted to dismantling colonial tendencies in photography. Listo is profoundly celebratory and thoughtful in its approach building curiosity through interviews, group shows and industry talks.In this conversation we talk about her journey into Photo Editing, her process and what she looks for in a pitch. We also discuss how she navigated the industry and was a fierce advocate for diversity in storytelling. We talk about the importance of speaking out and the liberation that comes from building your own world. We talk about her new curatorial platform Listo, its genesis, mission and plans for the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gem chats to Diana Markosian, known for her intimate approach to storytelling using photography and film. Her projects have taken her to some of the most remote corners of the world, where she has created work that is both conceptual and documentary. Her images can be found in publications like National Geographic Magazine, The New Yorker and The New York Times. She holds a Masters of Science from Columbia University in New York. In this conversation we talk about her journey, her process, what photography means to her and her first monograph Santa Barbara recently published by Aperture which she describes as a time machine. The project is deeply personal, recreating the story of her family’s journey from post-Soviet Russia to the U.S. in the 1990s. We also discuss the dynamic participatory aspect to her approach and how the camera is in many ways a therapeutic tool for her – using it to navigate emotion, trauma, and growth - both her own and that of strangers that she encounters on assignments. Diana is a master of connecting deeply with a story – For her, to be a photographer is to be vulnerableDiana is fundraising for the Armenia Fund. You can support them at www.armeniafund.orgFollow Diana on Instagram @markosian on Instagram and visit www.dianamarkosian.com to see her work.Her work is represented by Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire in Paris, France and Rose Gallery in Los Angeles, California. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded remotely on 16th October 2020, Gem chats to photographer Annie Collinge who moves between the world of art and fashion, creativity and commerce in a way that stays true to her ethos and intentions as a photographer. Based in London, she uses photography as a tool for transformation, for imagining a kind of illusion in the everyday. Encountering her work is to happen upon something miraculous unexpectedly - often a playful fantasy that is joyful yet carries a dark undertone. In this conversation Annie talks about the stories, objects and events in her life that inform her work and creative process. We talk about the idea being central to her photographs and her meticulous and almost obsessive dedication to bringing her vision to life. We discuss collaboration, creative life and motherhood, the importance of knowing yourself and how you work best and what it takes to make a fantasy seem real. Follow Annie on Instagram @anniecollinge on Instagram and visit www.anniecollinge.org to see her work. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Recorded remotely on 5th September 2020, Gem chats to photographer Philip Montgomery. Renown for his urgent documentary work that focuses on the American experience, his work examines the social issues of our time, utilising observational strategies of documentary and aesthetic approaches of fine art. Based in New York City, he is a graduate of the Photojournalism and Documentary Program at the International Center of Photography. His work been exhibited around the world and is included in the 2020 Foam Talent Exhibition in Berlin.In this Conversation, Philip shares his journey into the industry and how his ideas and approach to documentary work have evolved throughout his career. We talk about how he connects with the people he photographs, how he works in moments of crisis or unrest and how he seeks to serve the reader. We discuss his approach to lighting, which brings a celestial quality, activating the audience and drawing attention to pervasive details, which might otherwise go unseen. We talk about his upcoming book and the experience of documenting the Covid-19 Pandemic in New York earlier this year.As the pandemic took hold, Philip was asked to be on an open-ended assignment for the New York Times Magazine, working on their Covid-19 coverage in New York, which was quickly becoming an epicentre of the outbreak. Philip spent two months visually mapping a city deeply affected, from restaurant owners forced into uncertainty, to makeshift testing centres. Yet, the critical story lay behind the doors of the public hospital system. The scenes he captured are urgent, overwhelming and bear witness to the enormity of the situation. What unites these photographs is Philip's unique ability to find moments of stillness in chaos.Follow Philip on Instagram @philipmontgomery on Instagram and visit philipmontgomery.com to see his work. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Recorded remotely on 4th September 2020, Gem chats to photographer David Brandon Geeting, a photographer renown for his disruptive approach to still life and visual aesthetics. Masterfully playing with ideas of taste, worth, reality and truth, David challenges our expectations of photography, especially those within the commercial and editorial space. David's 2019 monograph Neighbourhood Stroll is a collection of photographs taken outside in his neighbourhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Void of humans, the work dissects what they’ve left behind, and feels more post-apocalyptic than it does present-day. His work has been published in two other monographs including Infinite Power (2015), a whimsical compilation of imagery that he describes as ‘a collection of nothing’, and 2016’s S.K.N.P (South Korean Nature Photography), which sees him investigating relationships between the natural and urban.In this Conversation, David shares his journey in the industry so far, from how he got started and discovered an interest in objects to how he protects his authorship while working commercially. We talk about the space between intention and intuition and how he navigates both external and personal pressure. We reflect upon his monograph Neighbourhood Stroll and how the work channels new ideas in the light of the events of 2020. David reflects upon the epic shifts of 2020 and how they have impacted how he wants to create work in the future.Follow David on Instagram @davidbrandongeeting on Instagram and visit dbg.nyc to see his work. David is represented by East. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded remotely on 7th September 2020, Gem Fletcher chats to Dr Jennifer Good, writer, researcher and educator. Known for her fascinating research on the relationship between photography and trauma. She has written several books and writes for a variety of photography magazines and journals. As the Joint Course Leader on the BA & MA Photojournalism and Documentary course at the London College of Communication, Jen works closely with students on discovering and honing personal ethics through deeply interrogating their own views, politics and experiences, both conscious and subconscious which then in turn informs the work they make.In this conversation, Jennifer talks about her reflections on what photography is and how it functions in the modern world. We talk about her career path, her research practice and how her study of photography and trauma has evolved. We explore her role as an educator and the work she is doing with student to support a decolonisation of their practice. We talk about visual literacy, ethics, the falsehood of objectivity, and how we all inherit the history of the violence of the camera.Follow Jennifer on Instagram @jenjgood on Instagram. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded remotely on 26th July 2020, Gem Fletcher chats with renowned artist, writer and educator Carmen Winant. Her expansive art practice uses text and image to question the patriarchal framework that surrounds women’s bodies. She confronts, unveils and reimagines within her practice to empower agency and liberation. Through the collection and aggregation of found imagery, she examines the limitations of photography to transmute the human experience in all its complexity. My birth, her renowned work that constitutes 2000 images from books, pamphlets and magazines about birth was selected for MOMA's New Photography exhibition in 2018. Carmen also published an evolution of the project in book form with SPBH. In this conversation, Carmen shares the evolution of her art practice and the challenges she faced defining her work methodologies outside the expectations and traditions of the art world. We talk about how she pivoted away from taking photographs to building worlds using specific and nuanced found imagery. We discuss ways of working and how Carmen seeks to collapse the space between the process and the final product. She takes us behind the scenes on her latest book ‘Notes on Fundamental Joy; seeking the elimination of oppression through the social and political transformation of the patriarchy that otherwise threatens to bury us’. The project is an experimental work that sits at the cross-section of an artists' project and historical document, drawing from archival images borne out of the Ovulars, a series of darkroom/photography workshops held in various feminist & lesbian separatist communes of the early 80s across the Pacific Northwest. We talk about radical optimism, feminism and the psychological and physical act of art-making. Follow Carmen on Instagram @carmen.winant on Instagram and visit carmenwinant.com to see her work. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Recorded remotely on 24th April 2020 during lockdown, Gem chats to renowned photographer Christopher Anderson, who continues to have a fascinating journey through the industry. He’s created world-renowned photojournalism, some of the most disarming magazine covers of the last two decades as well as a series of fascinating photo books about a range of different subjects from his children to documenting the NYPD in the wake of 9/11. He first gained recognition for his pictures in 1999 when he boarded a handmade, wooden boat with Haitian refugees trying to sail to America. The boat named the Believe In God, sank in the Caribbean. In 2000 the images from that journey would receive the Robert Capa Gold Medal.In this conversation, Christopher shares his unexpected and organic journey into photography and his constant search for meaning. We talk about how his career evolved and how he crafts and refines his visual language. We discuss how he approaches portraiture, and it's complex power dynamics. He shares personal insight into sittings with Barack Obama and Donald Trump. We learn about his ethos about picture-making and how he uses photography as a tool to understand the world better. We discuss how he doesn't describe a scene, but instead tries to capture emotional energy exploring what it felt like to be there in that moment. We talk about his new book Pia published by Stanley Barker about his daughter and the process of creating and editing such profoundly personal work. We talk about social media, what it means to him and the highs and lows of the tool itself. We talk about slow photography and the importance of photographers building a body of work. Follow Christopher on Instagram @christopherandersonphoto on Instagram and visit christopherandersonphoto.com to see his work. Christopher is a member of Magnum Photos. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded remotely on 9th April 2020 during lockdown, Gem chats to renowned photographer Alec Soth, best known for his iconic work Sleeping by the Mississippi (2004). A series of 47 images of people and places which evolved from road trips along the Mississippi River. The project brings together Alec’s documentary style and poetic sensibility capturing the spirit of the community he encountered. 16 years on and he is one of the most celebrated image-makers of our time. He went on to publish over twenty-five books including NIAGARA (2006), Broken Manual (2010), Songbook (2015) and I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating (2019). He has had over fifty solo exhibitions including survey shows organized by Jeu de Paume in Paris (2008), the Walker Art Center in Minnesota (2010) and Media Space in London (2015). He also created Little Brown Mushroom, a multi-media enterprise focused on visual storytelling. In this conversation, Alec shares his thoughts on his recent body of work I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating (2019), and how his approach to these photographs was a dramatic shift away from the narrative based work he is known for. He shares the motivations behind this work, how he worked and how he feels about it now. We discuss character; working with subjects and the complicated power dynamics at play in portraiture. We learn about his experience creating editorial work and how that sits within his wider practice. We talk about experimentation, the influence of language and why hotel rooms are such profound spaces in his creative process. Follow Alec on Instagram @littlebrownmushroom on Instagram and visit alecsoth.com to see his work. Alec is represented by Sean Kelly in New York, Weinstein Hammons Gallery in Minneapolis, Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, Loock Galerie in Berlin, and is a member of Magnum Photos. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded remotely on 31st May 2020 during lockdown, Gem chats to leading photographer and artist Shaniqwa Jarvis, best known for her fusion of modern fashion aesthetics with sensitive and emotional portraiture. Her approach captures vivid reality across a wide range of subjects, each frame imbued with profound optimism. In this conversation, we explore how Shaniqwa found photography, how she entered the creative industry at the turn of the century and all she had to overcome to be the iconic artist she is today. She pressed on through an industry that still to this day is rife with systemic racism and sexism, creating space, not only for herself but for the next generation. She brings focus to the institutional changes urgently needed to ensure the value and worth of new Black and Brown photographers remains intact. She asks, "If there is no worth put on black lives, so how in turn is there suppose to be worth on black art?” We learn about Social Studies, the mentoring program she co-founded for Black and Brown photographers that connects youth communities to creators through curated programming. We explore her collaborations with brands like Adidas, SNS, The Standard Hotels Group and Supreme and what this aspect of her practice means to her. We find out about her sold out self-titled monograph, which documents two decades of her practice and how it shifted the perception and awareness of her work on a global scale. We discuss her joy of collaboration, why portraiture is such a deeply personal endeavour for her and hear about her recent shoot with Erykah Badu.Follow @sheekswinsalways on Instagram and visit shaniqwajarvis.com to see her wider portfolio. Shaniqwa is represented by IMG Lens. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgie Wileman is a portrait and Documentary photographer focusing on social injustice. Her work highlights our internalised lives, the struggles we live with mentally, physically and emotionally.What may appear dark at first glance is more about enlightenment. Georgie’s photography seeks to educate audiences on urgent human struggles that often go unseen, while in turn enabling her subjects to feel validated in their suffering.Gem Fletcher talks to Georgie Wileman about her process and what it takes to capture such vivid [email protected] in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Micaiah Carter's stylised photographs have graced magazines, screens and billboards capturing icons, past and present with his unique blend of 90’s maximalism and 70’s hues.He is clear about his intentions as an image-maker – wanting the work to be a quality platform for the representation of people of colour that hasn’t been seen before. What I love about his photographs is how they emanate a powerful hybrid of joy and resilience.Gem Fletcher chats to Micaiah Carter about collaboration, identity and popular culture.This conversation was recorded in November 2019.https://micaiahcarter.com/@micaiahcarterMicaiah is also part of See In Black, a collective of Black photographers who uplift and invest in Black visibility. Through the sale of highly-curated prints from Black photographers, we raise funds that support five key pillars of Black advancement: civil rights, education/arts, intersectionality, community building, and criminal justice reform.https://seeinblack.com/@seeinblackprojectRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leonard Suryajaya uses his work to speak profoundly to the challenges of being an outsider, and the deep complexity of navigating identities. He embeds his life experiences into every facet of his work, testing the boundaries of intimacy, community and identity. His subjects, often family, friends and lovers, work in a kind of absurd theatre within the frame.Viewing Suryajaya’s work is an emotional experience. The photographs are disarming, intense and even over stimulating at times. The chaos he conjures feels entirely appropriate for our times. As our world continues to be in flux, his images provide a strange comfort in their authenticity.Gem Fletcher talks to Leonard Suryajaya about resilience, collaboration and how the act of creating gives him joy and freedom.@leonardsuryajayahttp://www.leonardsuryajaya.com/Recorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born and raised in New York City, with pit stops in South Carolina and New Orleans, photographer Arielle Bobb-Willis has been using the camera for nearly a decade as a tool of empowerment. Battling with depression from an early age, Bobb-Willis found solace behind the lens and has developed a visual language that speaks to the complexities of life: the beautiful, the strange, belonging, isolation, and connection. Inspired by masters like Jacob Lawrence and Benny Andrews, Bobb-Willis applies a ‘painterly’ touch to her photography by documenting people in compromising and disjointed positions as to highlight these complexities.Toting the line between fashion and contemporary art, her use of is therapeutic and speaks to a desire to claim power and joy in moments of sadness, confusion or confinement. Her photographs are all captured in urban and rural cities, from the South to North, East to West. Bobb-Willis travels throughout the US as a way of finding ‘home’ in any grassy knoll, or city sidewalk, reminding us to stay connected and grounded during life’s transitional moments. Gem Fletcher talks to Arielle Bobb-Willis about her relationship to the medium, facing adversity and the realities of being a young image-maker working today. https://ariellebobbwillis.com/@ariellebobbwillisRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eva O’Leary has been producing photographs in and around her hometown of Central Pennsylvania, ironically nicknamed Happy Valley. Gaining access to college parties, dorm rooms, and proms and other social spaces of those in the midst of pivotal coming of age moments, O’Leary examines individual vulnerability in these transitional times. Her work explores intimate moments to deftly confront power dynamics as it falls along gendered lines, especially within the lives of adolescents.Eva’s work navigates structural and social systems that perpetuate ideologies of fantasy, power and control within American society, specifically focused on the impact on young women and their experience in the world. Her work is deeply personal, using her own experiences, memories and journals as the foundation of her practise. We recorded this episode in early April 2020 during the Covid 19 pandemic, which was bringing up many questions about the role and purpose of art and creative work for both of us. This inevitably ended up being a core part of our conversation because how could it not be. Gem Fletcher talks to Eva O’Leary about process, growth and how art can be both therapy and liberation.evaoleary.com@evaolearyRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Maggio is a photographer living in NYC with 8.6 million of his closest friends. Often exploring the quotidian details of American cities and their tourism, his documentary practice sits at the intersection of both observational and staged photography.He examines the humanity and hidden complexities of humour in everyday life. His hybrid practice crosses documentary, fashion, portraiture all laced with his signature intervention. While his work feels loose and organic, every inch of the frame is deeply considered. He’s interested in challenging truth in a playful yet profound way.Gem Fletcher talks to Chris Maggio about his process, storytelling, and what it takes to shoot candidly on the street.@chrismaggiohttps://cargocollective.com/chrismaggioRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Devyn Galindo is fearlessly nomadic, honest and observant, with an eye toward the gently radical. Having grown up between California and Texas, she between Los Angeles and New York, keeping time to explore and the South.Devyn documents the lives of her friends emerging from the Chicanx scene in Los Angeles. Exploring her own identity as a queer artist during the current political climate has become an obsession that led to their first publication, We Are Still Here, which launched in November 2016.Devyn Galindo talks to Gem Fletcher about representation, activism, motivation and the responsibilities that come with image making.http://devyngalindo.com/@devyngalindoRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Antuwan Sargent is an art critic, writer and curator. He has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker, and more, as well as essays to multiple museum publications. His first book, “The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion” (Aperture) is out now. In the book, Antwaun addresses a radical transformation taking place in fashion and art today. The presentation of black figures and black runway and cover models in the media and art has been one marker of increasingly inclusive fashion and art communities. More critically, however, the contemporary visual vocabulary around and the body has been with new vitality and substance thanks to an increase in powerful images authored by an international community of black photographers.Antuwan Sargent talks to Gem Fletcher about representation, the shifting photographic landscape and how young artists are rejecting broken systems to create exciting new modalities for photography.@sirsargentRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle Groskopf is a street and editorial photographer based in Los Angeles. Her street photography has been exhibited around the world, including Korea, London, NY and LA, and has been featured in the New Yorker’s photo booth, Creative Review, Lenscratch, The British Journal of Photography, Ain’t Bad and more.Her client list includes The NY Times, Apple, New York Magazine, California Sunday, Wired, GQ, Bloomberg Businessweek and Refinery29.Michelle Groskopf talks to Gem Fletcher about vulnerability, taking risks, the new wave of street photographers and how she navigates the challenges of editorial work.https://mgroskopf.com/@michellegroskopfRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kimberly Drew is a writer, curator, and activist. She received her B.A. Smith College in Art History and African-American Studies. She first experienced the art world as an intern in the Director’s Office of The Studio Museum in Harlem. Her time at the Studio Museum inspired her to start the Tumblr blog Black Contemporary Art, sparking her interest in social media. Her writing has appeared in Vogue, Glamour, W, Teen Vogue, and Lenny Letter and she has executed Instagram takeovers for Prada, The White House, and Instagram. Drew recently left her role as the Social Media Manager at The Met after growing their audience by six million followers. In 2020 she is launching her much anticipated book Black Futures, created in collaboration with Jenna Wortham. Black Futures a collection of work - art, photos, essays, memes, dialogues, recipes, tweets, poetry, and more that tells the story of the radical, imaginative, bold, and beautiful world that black artists, high and low, are producing today.Kimberly Drew talks to Gem Fletcher about social media, the art world and how accessibility should be a priority for everyone.@museummammyRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prarthna Singh's work explores female identity in contemporary India, within the intersection of gender and nation. Particularly drawn to stories that stand at the conflux of radical vulnerability and power; her images highlight India’s transition and contrast while exploring a dual dichotomy between feminine identity and strength. These female narratives are constructed within India’s own traditions, poised between fragility and abundance. After completing her BFA in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design, Prarthna lived and worked in New York. Returning to India was a deliberate decision; she is currently based out of Bombay.Prarthna Singh's talks to Gem Fletcher about the significance of location and it’s direct impact on opportunity. They discuss how to thrive outside the main commissioning hubs. www.prarthnasingh.com@peeezersRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlotte Jansen is a British Sri Lankan author and arts and culture journalist. Since 2015, she has held the position of Editor-at-Large at Elephant magazine. She has written for The Guardian, The Financial Times, ELLE UK, Vice, The British Journal of Photography and Wallpaper*, among others. In 2017, she published her first book, Girl on Girl: Art and Photography in the Age of the Female Gaze. The critically-acclaimed publication will be released as a paperback edition in Autumn 2019. She is also a contributing author on the painter Lucy Jones (Elephant Publishing, May 2019) and the artist Mary McCartney (Paris Nude, Heni, February 2019).Charlotte Jansen talks to Gem Fletcher about the rise of female led visual culture, gaze and how photographers engage and document communities.https://elephant.art/author/charlotte-jansen/@omfgnoway ReferencesGirl Girl BookRecorded in London, UKEdited by John WebbSpecial thanks to SiddallMusic by Judd Greenstein – Change from AwakeDesign by Ruby Wight Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alys Tomlinson grew up in Brighton, UK and studied photography at Central Saint Martins. She recently completed an MA in Anthropology at SOAS, University of London. Her projects are often research-led and she is most interested in the relationship between people and place, exploring themes of environment, belonging and identity.Her major body of work ‘Ex-Voto’ (2016-2018) explores Christian pilgrimage sites in Lourdes (France), Ballyvourney (Ireland) and Grabarka (Poland). Often placed anonymously and hidden from view, ex-voto are left by pilgrims as expressions of hope and gratitude, creating a tangible narrative between faith, person and the landscape.The project images encompass formal portraiture, large format landscape and small, detailed still-life shots of the objects and markers left behind. Shot on 5×4, large format film, the images evoke a distinct stillness and reflect the mysterious, timeless quality present at these sites of great spiritual contemplation. Gem Fletcher chats to Alys Tomlinson about Ex Voto, the project that was a catalyst for growth, visibility and success for the photographer in last two years. They also discuss the complex subject of industry awards exploring their value and strategies on how to best approach them.  “The Sony award changed my life. It gave me a platform for global exposure, accelerating my career for the foreseeable future.”www.alystomlinson.co.uk@alystomlinsonReferences Lourdes FilmEx Voto bookGostHackelBury Fine Art GallerySony Awards Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After eight years in London including a five-year stint at M&C Saatchi and time with Anomaly, Lydia Pang moved to New York and now works as a Creative Director for Refinery29. She defines herself as a Frankenstein Creative, born out of an international outlook and the changing industry - the job she has created for herself is made up of many roles. She has made it her mission to support new voices and given many photographers their first big job. She’s an advocate for constant learning, discovery and evolution no matter where you are in your career and she lives and breathes this ethos herself.“It’s privilege to make work. Holding ourselves, and the community more responsible is really important. Don’t fear the change. There’s never been a more exciting time to make creative work. Images are a platform for real world change and business know that. This is our time.”Lydia Pang and Gem Fletcher explore the crucial role commissioner’s play in how the future of the industry and visual culture is being shaped. They discuss the importance of responsibility in image making, telling authentic stories and how to survive and thrive in this ever-changing industry.www.lydiapang.com@lydia_pang_ReferencesRefinery29@refinery29#THISDOESNTMEANYES#MOREWOMEN Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack Davison studied English Literature at Warwick University but spent most of the time experimenting with cameras. Since the age of 14 he has continuously photographed those around him. He lives in London and works for numerous publications including New York Times Magazine, M Le Monde, Luncheon, Double & British Vogue, but spends most of his time shooting for his on-going personal work. He had his first solo exhibition, Revisiting Pictures, at the Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam in 2016.Agnes Lloyd-Platt is a fashion and beauty photographer and her work is characterised by positivity, colour, character and a graphic sensibility. Touching on these inspirations, Agnes embraces playfulness in her work and believes fashion photography should be uplifting and inclusive - “There are enough terrible things in the world for us to see. If you look at fashion imagery, it should be good to look at, and make you feel good.” Agnes applies her singular aesthetic to assignments for titles such as British Vogue, Modern Weekly China, Time Magazine, Twin Magazine & W Magazine. Jack and Aggy talk to Gem Fletcher about feedback, support systems, social media and how they make, shape and share their work.www.jackdavison.co.uk@jackdavisonphotowww.agneslloydplatt.com@agnesvitaReferencesPhotographs by Jack DavisonDouble Take for Twin Magazine by Agnes Lloyd Platt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campbell Addy is a London based photographer & filmmaker. His work is narrative and emotional in nature, with a focus on a unique casting and under-represented faces. In addition to his photographic and directorial career Campbell has launched Nii Journal, a biannual arts and culture publication as well as Nii Agency, a modelling agency dedicated to representing interesting faces and celebrating diversity."I think my generation struggles because no one posts their fails. It’s vital to keep your head in the game, keep your blinders on and stay focused."Campbell Addy talks to Gem Fletcher about his creative output, vision and mental health.campbelladdy.com@campbelladdyNii AgencyNii Journal Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 American Photographer Alexander Coggin has an extraordinary eye for the unusual, the unexpected and the unlikely. A trained actor, his theatrical education influences his image-making – championing character and blurring the space between perception and reality. “We all have within us the capability to make work that is very specific to our value systems, our upbringing, our visual references, our interests and desires, and if you really pay attention to yourself, you will make work that looks like nobody else’s.”Alexander Coggin talks to Gem Fletcher about his autodidactic pathway to photography and the importance of authorship.alexandercoggin.com@alexandercogginReferencesCharlie KwaiMichelle GroskopfAlice Mann Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.