chris rydlewski
Photographer and Lecturer, Bristol, UK
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Andreas Gursky at the Hayward Gallery

2/19/2018

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I was really looking forward to this which usually sets off an alarm (“you’ll be disappointed!”) Far from it – a really inspiring show, a delightfully inclusive overview of Gursky’s career. It was great to see some of his early work from the 80s and to see his latest work from last year, as well as ‘the greatest hits’ (which, mostly, really were great!)
Personal favourites: ‘Montparnasse’ 1993 was incredible to see at this scale, the detail and untold, existential narratives within it were really powerful. ‘Toyota / Toys ‘r’ Us’ was super minimal, bleak + hilarious at the same time,. Wonderful!
 
It was great to see Solferino from 1990.
The ‘breakthrough image where he first got his ‘mojo’.

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Solferino 1990
I was just telling students this week that sometimes you just take one photo which can utterly change your direction as a photographer. This was one of those (and a superb photo – as Gursky describes it the foreground and background of equal importance – in his word  “democratic”)
 
Some images I wasn’t so taken with (as you’d expect.) Not so keen on the recent Pyongyang images and also a shot of a cattle ranch felt a bit too similar to the epic photography of Ed Burtynsky, which I’m not that keen on – I’m with Geoff Dyer* on that one, Burtynsky’s a bit too stadium rock, lacking in subtlety / intimacy. Sorry, don’t have an image for this one. 
* essay, 'Edward Burtynsky' from 'Working the Room: Essays' by Geoff Dyer (2010)

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Rhein II, 1999
But seeing ‘Rhein II’ 1999 ‘live’ was an incredible experience. I felt surprisingly moved by it – possibly a weird response to something so minimal! The scale of it in the space was really impressive. There was a quote (in the exhibition) from artist  Barnett Newman that encounters with artworks were no different from meeting another person and that both parties could be changed by the experience.
It was great to see it large scale and also to be able to have a close-up view of the finer details – usually missing from books, google images, my own lectures etc. A lovely orange plastic bottle, litter in the grass and a set of mysterious steps leading to the sky!
I felt a strong affinity and connection with this image – probably a mutual love of minimalism, but also the complexity within that.

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Les Mées, 2016
Despite that, the photo I had the strongest response to was “Les Mées” from 2016. I actually had a visceral, physical response to this work – it literally took my breath away. Like a 21st century version of the 19th century ‘sublime’ – a view of awe mixed with terror! The pixel like edges of the solar farm were incredibly eloquent. Very powerful!
I always encourage students to explore the experiential in viewing work in the real (i.e. not mediated by book or screen) and this exhibition really was an object lesson in this. Our students were generally really impressed too, which was great to witness.
 
And time for some jokes too – I spotted my colleague Becky Goddard laughing at (or rather with) an early photo of a grey carpet, which I too found really mischievous and serious at the same time.
My moment of hilarity was a small-scale image (‘Mobile Nr.3’ 2017) taken by mobile phone at the top of a dark stairway. It looked out of focus but I thought that it was my eyes and as I got closer it would come into focus. Nope! It was out of focus. Hilarious! A wonderful photographic joke.

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Mobile Nr.3, 2017
Like the above image his recent work shows no sign of him losing his touch, as in Tokyo, 2017 below.
Highly recommended exhibition. I’ll be back for another visit for sure!

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Tokyo, 2017
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Toys' R' Us, 1999
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Warden Rd, Bedminster

2/5/2018

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Warden Rd, Bedminster. A photo that came on me last year - it felt like it offered itself to me. And I'm still really excited by it!
Alongside discussions recently about our old college, St Matthias at Bristol Poly (now UWE) with @Cath Doyle and @Pam Gordon, I've been thinking about my old Art History lecturer @Roger Cranshaw. He was so pivotal in shifting me from an undisciplined / unschooled amateur photographer to someone who tried to get to grips with image making.
Roger died sadly young many years ago now but I owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Funny how these things come around! Cheers, Roger Cranshaw!
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Free photography awards

2/5/2018

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Just entered the LensCulture Exposure Awards
https://www.lensculture.com/exposure-awards-2018
You can enter one image free (in the Single Image category). After that you have to pay. Having spent over £100 this last year (2017) entering photography awards, I’m now determined to pay as little as possible!
See Lewis Bush’s post on his still-out-there-but-now-sadly-defunct Disphotic blog on free to enter photography competitions, awards & grants:
http://www.disphotic.com/competitions-and-grants/
16.12.17

Posted this back in December originally but have also since entered the Zeiss awards for a series of 10 images but due to the rather arcane rules not sure if I can show them here!
Read the small print - yes.
Understand the small print - er, probably (-ish!) Would publishing them here render them 'published' under the rules (+ render them in elligible). Sounds like it. Odd.

Anyway, it's always an interesting + enjoyable process to re-edit your work for a particular award (even if when you've finally decided on the sequence you notice one is out of the time-frame for the award + needs replacing + re-editing!)
When the inevitable Dear John letter arrives I'll publish the series!

Anyway heres to the free to enter awards! May there be many more of them.

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The Artist's Statement

2/5/2018

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Just uploading a couple of older posts from my old tumblr blog

​Taking part in the Windmill Hill & Victoria Park ‘Art on the Hill’ art trail was a turning point for me. Despite coaching students in the art of the artist statement, I’ve always been really uncomfortable trying to describe / justify my own work.
In October this year the showing of work from BS3 + the Creuse (see statement below) consolidated some of my ideas about how + why I make photographs. 
For the first time my artist statement for the art trail felt less bullshit and more an honest situating of what I’m trying to achieve.
It’s still imperfect and needs polishing, but it’s the first time I’ve been comfortable in describing / justifying what I do.
14.12.17
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Nadav Kander's The Dark Line exhibition

1/13/2018

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Managed to catch Nadav Kander’s Dark Line just before it closed at Flower’s Gallery in East London. A dark brooding meditation on the Thames Estuary. It’s a continuation / development of his work on Yangtze – the Long River from 2010.
It’s heavily atmospheric drawing on both its history and its literary roots in Dickens + Conrad and surprisingly moving + scary (I was pleased to see him write about being fearful – thought it was just me!)
Fantastic tiny details of historic and current industry just visible in the haze offsets the timelessness of the river (see final image + subsequent close up).
Very thoughtful showing of the images , surprisingly low to the floor but worked really well with the Chinese scroll painting influence he ascribes to his practice.
Also a really affecting video companion piece “The Edge of the Stream” projected onto 3 gauze screens which as a self-portrait (I think) seemed to encompass birth, struggle, drowning (poignantly), death, rebirth – hopefully that’s enough for you to be getting on with!
Absolutely captivating exhibition thoughtfully displayed, lit and with the video piece, a really well rounded well considered show (it’s amazing how many aren’t!)
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