Richard Ansett

Saturday, 18 October 2014

Maskirovka

The gay couple series 'Ron & Roger' has won the political prize at the Moscow international Foto Awards and will show at a public Moscow gallery this month, challenging the Russian anti-gay propaganda law. The images will be projected on screens at Fotoloft Gallery Contemporary Arts Centre. from 23rd October 2014.

"The expression of love and commitment regardless of gender is highly political. Prejudice of homosexual behavior is challenged by the un-extraordinary expression of a serious relationship illustrated as equal to the heterosexual. It is a subtle change to previously more confrontational messages in the fight for equality; it says, 'We are the same as you; our lives are as complicated and as mundane'. The series composition is inspired by the 15th century painting the ‘Arnolfini Wedding’ by Jan Van Eyke considered a record of a clandestine marriage". - RA

Russian translation:

Гей-пара серии 'Рон и Роджер' выиграл политическую приз на Московском международном Foto Awards и покажет на публичном московской галерее в этом месяце, бросая вызов российской анти-гей-пропаганды закон. Изображения будут проецироваться на экраны в Фотолофт Галерея современного искусства Центра. от 23 октября 2014.

"Выражение любви и приверженности независимо от пола является в высшей степени политический. Предубеждение гомосексуального поведения оспаривается оон-экстраординарное выражение серьезных отношений проиллюстрировать равна гетеросексуальные. Это тонкое изменение в ранее более конфронтационных сообщений в борьбе за равенство; он говорит, «Мы же, как вы; наша жизнь, как сложны и, как мирской 'композиционный ряд вдохновлен 15-го века рисующего' Arnolfini Свадьба 'Яна ван Eyke считается запись подпольной брака. ». - РА

Saul & Jonathan, from series Ron & Roger © Richard Ansett

Saturday, 11 October 2014

Alison Lapper MBE

I shot Alison Lapper at the Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square, London before the sculpture of her 'Alison Lapper (8 months), 2000' by Marc Quinn was installed in 2005. The portrait of her alone was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery for its permanent collection surrounded by flocks of pigeons but I have always loved this image of her with her son, which was never published.

I was listening to BBC Radio 4 this morning and she was speaking inevitably about the experience as a disabled mother and artist.

When commissioned, we are sent to photograph people but very often don't have the details of the life that has brought them to this moment, deemed relevant or important enough to be recorded for posterity. I research my subjects as it does help with a silent empathy as well as an aid to developing visual metaphors in the moment but with Lapper I did not. I didn't know her son Paris would be attending and the commission did not include shots with him; I did this and others just for them (and me). In terms of my own development, this connection and Quinn's sculpture itself helped challenge so many aspects of my stupid prejudice and altered my view of the world.

Alison Lapper with son Paris, Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square, London © Richard Ansett 2005

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Crash Dummy

My beautiful dummies of the FAT project designed by Boris Kajmak along with the other amazing shortlisted books have been destroyed in a dramatic accident in Brazil.

Letter to the FotoBook Festival Kassel director from Madalena Workshops, São Paulo

Dear Dieter,
We are really constrained to inform you about what occurred just before the beginning of the Festival. Our truck was descending the last part of the itinerary between São Paulo and Paraty -a really curvy and steep road- when it lost the brakes and had an accident. Happily the drivers didn't suffer any serious injury, but as you can see in the pictures attached the material they were carrying -the books from our bookshop and the dummies among it- were seriously damaged also because of the heavy rain that was falling at that time. In order to preserve the image of the Award and even if at least a 30% of the dummies is in perfect conditions, we decided not to show them during the Festival.

We know the immeasurable value of the works so we are not sure about how to proceed from now on; we are quite perplexed. We thought about writing a letter to every author that had his dummy damaged
and we are waiting for your instructions. We are sending back the dummies to you, carefully wrapped.

Best, Talita Virgínia
Estudio Madalena

Monday, 6 October 2014

Dog Shit UK

Photographers are under no obligation to be kind.

Image_066, Dog Shit, UK, 2009 © Richard Ansett

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

The Paedophile Hunter

Image_9113, from series The Paedophile Hunter © Richard Ansett

Image_9138, from series The Paedophile Hunter © Richard Ansett

Image_9184, from series The Paedophile Hunter © Richard Ansett

Image_9185, from series The Paedophile Hunter © Richard Ansett

Image_9188, from series The Paedophile Hunter © Richard Ansett

Image_9191, from series The Paedophile Hunter © Richard Ansett

Image_9192, from series The Paedophile Hunter © Richard Ansett

Image_9193, from series The Paedophile Hunter © Richard Ansett

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Shared Anxiety

These images were shared on Facebook on the same day. The explosion at a chemical factory in Donetsk, Ukraine captured by my friend Mykhailo Glubokyi and my sister's half sister Julie's images of her schizophrenic son's living conditions to highlight the failing mental health services and her deep anxiety for his wellbeing.

Explosion at chemical factory, Donetsk, Ukraine © Mykhailo Glubokyi 2014

Sunday, 21 September 2014

Participation and Observation

These repeated recreations of an historic state sponsored punishment, imply a democratic action fairly meted out to any of those that challenge the status quo. However, the unknown emotional response to the exact same action is unique in each of us; it will have an equally specific and chaotic influence on the ‘potential adult’ (both of the punished and the observer).

These now archaic techniques designed to control the majority at the expense of the individual, which are still a memory in a significant majority, ignore the complex issues of the child, recognised and accepted now as a catalyst for potentially disruptive and self-harming behavior.

The act of forcibly removing the individual as punishment from the ‘collective’, is a different lesson for the observing society. By facing away from the group, the relative identity of the perpetrator is compromised and the group’s empathic observation becomes a constant arbiter of future behavior i.e. the memory of the punished child is a 'check' on our own potential future behaviour.

Our complicity in the humiliation of the one, is carried forward as a betrayal of self and guilt in the emotional memory. The observers' potential is more damaged than the participant.

The boys in these images were dealing with complex behavioural issues that had led to conflict and in some cases to the brink of permanent exclusion. Many thanks to the boys and their families.

“You begin to see life through the framework of exclusion. Through the negation of the child (sic), a world of possibility is shut down.” – Indra Adnan