As Gerry Badger is probably best known for his writing on photography and photographic history, this solo show presents a welcome opportunity to explore his own photography. It features three of his photo-book projects. The images are unframed A4 portrait style, stuck directly on the walls which gives a first impression of a naive even amateur show. But this is not the case, Badger takes his audience with him as he articulates the way mankind impacts on his built environment, the detritus he creates and how sometimes trees, shrubs and shadows can and do soften that impact. He achieves this by having a clear understanding of his subject matter and by shooting it from angles that emphasise the juxtaposition of one piece with another.
Badger was one of ten photographers invited to shoot a series from their own part of the world: One Day June 21, 2010. He chose to create an imaginary portrait of one London house by melding the exteriors and interiors of two. The result: un-peopled images of cluttered rooms with evidence of private life and work in progress, an artist’s studio, a used bathroom, jumbles of cleaning materials, with exterior images that serve to reinforce that privacy. This is illustrated above, where a ground floor front window with shutters closed excludes, as does the flowering prunus and its protective shadow.
The project Breakfast at Mario’s 2008-2010 is based around a day in the life of Mario’s London cafe: an open door, captured in early morning light and then records of the messy evidence of the day’s people. The Word on the Sidewalk 2009-2010 reflects the harsh environment of New York’s streets, summarised in a contradictory image of a jumble of Parking, No Parking and Sidewalk Closed signs dominated by a seemingly unconcerned JCB digging up the whole.
The exhibition is on till April 10. It is open Wednesday to Sunday.
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