Street Level Photoworks - 11 June - 6.30pm
Robin Gillanders in discussion with one of England’s most influential and creative portrait photographers.
Born in Birmingham on the 13th April 1948 but lived in the Black Country until going to Manchester Polytechnic (1969 – 72) to study photography. Since 1972 has lived in London as a freelance photographer getting his first commission for Management Today in November 1972. First exhibited in the “Young British Photographers” in 1975.
Received “Freedom of the city of Arles, France” in 1987. Published the book “Work” in 1988 with a one-man show at the National Portrait Gallery. Work went on to be awarded the Best Photography book in the World at the Barcelona Primavera Fotografica 1991. In 1989 the Guardian newspaper proclaimed him to be “The Photographer Of The Decade”. Also “Life” magazine used the photograph “A Broken Frame” on its front cover of a special supplement “The Greatest Photographs Of The 80’s”. From 1991 until 2002 worked as a film director making TV Commercials, Music Videos and Short Films.
In 2003 worked on Birmingham’s bid to become the European Capital City Of Culture followed by a retrospective at the Art Museum Reykjavik Iceland in 2005. He then produced a book and exhibition for the Royal opening of St. Pancras Station and High Speed 1 in 2007. In 2009 He became the patron of the Derby Festival of Photography and continues to be the Festivals patron.
For the London Olympics in 2009 he launched the photography project “Road To 2012” at the National Portrait Gallery alongside Lord Coe and Dame Kelly Holmes. In 2010 he had a major retrospective of my portraiture “Face to Face” in Birmingham. September 2013 he received the “Centenary Medal” from the Royal Photographic Society in recognition of a lifetime achievement in photography.
Recently he has been commissioned and exhibited at “Marseille Provence 2013 European Capital of Culture”, also for “Reference Works” the photography project to celebrate with a book and exhibition the building and opening of the New Birmingham Library. This was followed by a retrospective of his corporate photography in Bologna Italy during October 2013. On March 3rd 2014, he received a Honorary Doctorate by Birmingham City University for his lifetime contribution to the City of Birmingham.
Robin Gillanders is an Edinburgh based photographic artist, who has exhibited frequently in Scotland and internationally in France, Spain, Poland, Norway and USA. His work has been in several publications and he has published four solo books with the National Galleries of Scotland, Birlinn and David & Charles. He is former Reader at Napier University, and is currently involved in photography initiatives in Scotland such as the Jill Todd Photographic Award and the Scottish Society for the History of Photography.
THIS EVENT FEATURES AS PART OF THE SEASON OF PHOTOGRAPHY 2015. IT IS FREE BUT PLEASE RSVP TO ENSURE A PLACE, to reception@streetlevelphotoworks.org, or by phoning 0141 552 2151 during opening hours.
Interview with Brian on Janice Forsyth Show, 22 minutes into programme: listen here
Top Image: Brian Griffin, © Ashley Franklin
Left Image: ‘Carillion Workmen’, Birmingham 2013, © Brian Griffin