Welcome to VIEWFINDING
A weekly newsletter with topical stories from the world of photography
During Covid, David Hill Gallery sent a series of VIEWFINDER newsletters to the gallery’s mailing list that were warmly received. They informed of photographic-culture news and tips, such as new books published, or photo-related documentaries being broadcast. VIEWFINDING is picking up @Substack where VIEWFINDER left off, so we hope that you like what we’re doing.
Reflecting on Larry
Larry Fink was a one-off, an exceptional photographer with an eye for sharply framed visual wit, but always balanced with a humanistic outlook. Larry never cocked a snook. Growing up in a politically-conscious house, he became a man of great principle and documented the Civil Rights Movement – including the March on Washington of 1963 – and then social reform projects later in the decade. Carrie Scott and I were fortunate to work with Larry and his studio manager, Jamie Cabreza, on a couple of projects. These were steps towards a 2024 solo exhibition of largely unseen images from the 1960s, 70s and 80s that Larry rediscovered when organising his archive during Covid. He was generous to work with and very funny. Nobody wrote like Larry; receiving his mails always lifted the day. We shall miss him.
“Keep up the what's keeping. We will go forward, while the world goes backwards... ” Larry
Image © Larry Fink / David Hill Gallery
Don McCullin – Life, Death, and Everything in Between
Life, Death, and Everything in Between is an exquisitely produced collection of images by Don McCullin, perhaps Britain’s most important living photographer. Just published by GOST Books, it features 140 images hand-picked by McCullin, with work spanning the late 1950s right through to last year and includes some that are unseen and rarely published. GOST says the book aims to be neither a retrospective nor a definitive publication, but presents a selection of images valued by McCullin with the benefit of both hindsight and wisdom.
And if heading to Rome, be sure to see Don McCullin in Rome – a Retrospective, which runs until 28th January at Palazzo delle Esposizioni.
Between Two Worlds: Vanley Burke and Francis Williams
A gem of an exhibition, Between Two Worlds: Vanley Burke and Francis Williams at London’s V&A places the work of photographer and archivist Vanley Burke alongside that of 18th century Jamaican renaissance man, Francis Williams.
Burke, who lives and works in Handsworth, Birmingham, has documented his local Caribbean community since the late 1960s, creating images that define the era. These include the now-iconic Boy with Flag (above), African Liberation Day, Handsworth Park, 1977, and various anti-racism marches of the 70s and 80s. In addition to his photography, Burke has built a vast archive of documents, publications, recorded music, and objects that relate to the Black British experience, which he is now seeking a permanent home for.
Williams was a scholar, journal-keeper, and poet, who was one of the most prolific free Black Jamaicans at the time. His father was emancipated in 1699, then amassed land and wealth – and owned slaves himself, which allowed Francis to travel to Europe, leading him to become a British subject in 1723. Returning to Jamaica, he set up a free school for Black children where he taught the three Rs and Latin.
It is fascinating to see the lives and work of these two men presented side-by-side, under the strong curatorial vison of the V&As Christine Checinska.
Between Two Worlds: Vanley Burke and Francis Williams is showing until 31st December 2023.
Image © Vanley Burke