05/19

Tom WOOD Solo show

PHOTO LONDON May 16- 19 2019. Somerset House – Stand A6

PRESS RELEASE

Women’s Market Series, Great Homer Street, 1992 ©Tom WOOD courtesy galerie SIT DOWN Analog Hand Print on Fuji Maxima paper Size : 40 x 50 cm Edition 7

TOM WOOD, THE NOVELIST OF LIVERPOOL The artwork of Tom Wood is now the property of the greatest museums; MoMA and the ICP in New York, the Art Institute Chicago, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the National Museum of Photography in Copenhagen. A solo show of his work, ‘The Shipyard’ featured in the Lianzhou Festival, China in 2019. A major retrospective of his work “Tom Wood - Britain in the 80’s” was held in 2017 at the Multimedia Art Museum Moscow. Wood has been recognised as a defining presence in early British colour photography, alongside Paul Graham and his compatriot . Wood's book “All Zones Off Peak” (1998) is featured in Parr's “The Photobook : A History”. Two other books by Tom Wood, “Photieman” (2003) and the seminal “Looking For Love” (1989) are included in the list of Greatest 150 Photo Books of All Time (Source magazine).

Described by The Wall Street Journal as “Among the most thoughtful photographers working today, in any style”, Tom Wood and Sit Down, his Parisian gallery, offers PHOTO LONDON a comprehensive solo show exploring THE photographs of Liverpool and beyond.

From his very first book "Looking for Love”, through to his forthcoming publication "Mother, Daughter, Sister" with Textuel, this show is a set of around forty pictures (with many vintage prints) that will be shown on the walls of Somerset House before his solo show in July in France at Les Rencontres d’Arles, his exhibition curated by Martha Kirsenbaum

Wood’s eyes were trained by painting first, but in his final year of study he adopted photography, the most "democratic" of mediums. Eventually his camera took him to Liverpool. It is here he captured "the peculiar state of mind, made of open-mindedness and generosity”, of this port, “the pool of life”, proud of The Beatles and thrilled by its football - a city of dockyards and markets and the river. He is himself a passenger on the ferry boat, capturing life on both sides of the river. Tom Wood has used as a springboard for his ideas, following in the footsteps of Robert Frank and Walker Evans - who, like him, were drawn to the human condition found in public spaces. This history of people gathered in perpetual movement is his canvas. Those human frescoes, are they not the very image of this city, hit by racial riots, unemployment, social violence during the Thatcher years?

Quoting John Berger, in 2004 : “What seems to me more important than this, is his capacity to enter, as an artist, into the profound, popular, often inarticulate but deeply human life of the people in the place he chooses to work in. He has ‘protected’ a Merseyside that is now eloquent and forever unloseable!”

Yet, Tom Wood doesn't see himself as a reporter. Exploring life as a poet or a novelist, taking pictures on the go, colour or black and white, indivisible forms and contents. He takes pictures to ask unsolvable questions, knowing that the answer will let the mystery complete… Magali Jauffret, author and journalist (translated from the French).

Visuels presse (libres de droits)

The Pierhead Series, 1979 ©Tom WOOD courtesy galerie SIT DOWN Silver Gelatin Print. Size: 40 x 50 cm Edition 7

The Cammell Laird Shipyard Series. Mad Max. 1993 ©Tom WOOD courtesy galerie SIT DOWN Analog Hand Print on Fuji Maxima paper. Size : 50 x 60 cm Edition 7

Mothers, Daughter, Sisters Series 1990 © Tom Wood courtesy galerie SIT DOWN Analog Hand Print on Fuji Maxima paper Size: 50 x 60 cm Edition 7

Mothers, Daughter, Sisters Series 1990 1983© Tom Wood courtesy galerie SIT DOWN Silver Gelatin Print. Size: 40 x 50 cm Edition 7

The Cammell Laird Shipyard Series, Valvoline, 1993©Tom Wood courtesy galerie Sit Down Analog Hand Print on Kodak paper. Size : 75 x 50 cm Edition 7

Biography TOM WOOD

For 45 years, Irish born Tom Wood (b.1951) has photographs almost every day. Trained as a painter at Leicester Polytechnic, he made his first exploration of the multimedia arts by watching a large number of experimental films. His work has been shown by leading museums and institutions around the world. His solo and group exhibitions include: • Tom Wood: The Shipyard, The Wind of Time, Lianzhou Festival, China (2019) • A History of Photography: Daguerreotype to Digital Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2018-2020) • Tom Wood: Britain 1973-2012, Ekaterina Cultural Foundation, Moscow, Russia (2017), • Tom Wood: Photographs 1973-2013, National Media Museum, Bradford, • Eyes Wide Open!, Deichtorhallen Internationale Kunst und Photographie, Hamburg (2014), • Facts of Life. Photography in Britain 1974-1997, National Museum, Kraków (2010), • How We Are: Photographing Britain, Tate Britain, London (2007), • Shrinking Cities, Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit (2007), • Centre of the Creative Universe, Tate Liverpool (2007), • HyperDesign, Biennale de Shanghai (2006).

Some of his works have joined the collections of MOMA and ICP in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. He also received the "Dialogue of Humanity " Award at the Rencontres d'Arles in 2002.

Tom Wood was recently the subject of the BBC4 documentary What Do Artists Do All Day? And his work was published in the book Photography Today: A History of Contemporary Photography (2014), and in the expanded edition of Bystander: The History of Street Photography (2017) ).

Some dates 1951 Born in Co Mayo, West of Ireland 1973 -1976 Studied Fine Art (painting) Leicester Polytechnic B.A. (Hons) 1978 -2003 Lived and worked in Liverpool/Merseyside 2003 Settles in Wales

Bibliography

2019 Forthcoming : “Mère, fille, sœur“ éditions Textuel “The DPA Work” (Rainhill Hospital, Cammell Laird Shipyard) Verlag, Gottingen (2 vols) 2018 “Shopping Market” Stanley/Barker, London 2017 “The Pierhead” GwinZegal, Guingamp. France 2015 “Looking for Looking for Love” Sorkika, London (Special Edition) 2013 “Men and Women” Steidl Verlag, Gottingen (2 vols) 2011 “F/M” Editions 205, Villeurbanne, France 2005 “Photie Man” Steidl Verlag, Gottingen 2004 “Not Only Female…” (Exhibit Cat.) Schaden, Cologne, Germany 2001 “Bus Odyssey” Hajte Cantz, Ostfildern-Ruit, Germany 2000 “Tom Wood” (Exhibit Cat.) Galerie im Buergerhaus Neunkirchen/Saar 1999 “People” Wienand Verlag, Cologne, Germany 1998 “All Zones off Peak” Dewi Lewis Publishing, Stockport, UK 1989 “Looking for Love” Cornerhouse, Manchester & Aperture, New York

Awards :2007 “Major Production Award” The Arts Council of Wales, Pays de Galles 2002 “Prix Dialogue de l’Humanite” (Outreach Award), Rencontres d’Arles, France 2000 “Year of the Artist”, Arts Council of England 1999 “Terrance Donovan Award “, Royal Photographic Society 1996 “Artist Honorarium“, International Centre of Photography, New York 1995 “Photography Publishing“ Grant, Arts Council of England

Public collections (selection): New York, International Centre of Photography New York, Art Institute of Chicago, Victoria & Albert Museum London, National Museum Of Photography, Copenhagen, British Council LondonStadt. Galerie Wolfsburg, Germany, National Media Museum, Bradford, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Galerie SIT DOWN

Established in Le Marais area in Paris, close to the Picasso Museum, SIT DOWN gallery was founded by Françoise Bornstein in 2005 and is a member of the French “Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art“. Since 2013 the gallery has been entirely devoted to photography, and its programming consists primarily of documentary and fine-art photography. The gallery aims to showcase young emerging photographers and support renowned international photographers such as Tom Wood, Yan Morvan, and Sacha Van Dorssen. In addition to organizing personal exhibitions, Françoise Bornstein invites curators to participate in exhibition projects during special events or art fairs. Through artist representation, SIT DOWN gallery has established itself as a major figure in documentary photography and opens its doors to the creativity of young photographers who bring new vision to this medium. Françoise Bornstein is a also a nominee for the Niépce prize and an expert at the Photo Folio Review of The Rencontres d'Arles.

REPRESENTED PHOTOGRAPHERS - Anne France ABILLON - Aurore BAGARRY - Jean-François BAURET - Carole BELLAÏCHE

- Catherine HENRIETTE - Jean-Gabriel LOPEZ - Robert MCCABE - Sandra MEHL - Yan MORVAN - Salvatore PUGLIA - Florian RUIZ

- Silvi SIMON INFORMATIONS PRATIQUES - Richard SCHROEDER - Sacha VAN DORSSEN Tom WOOD - Laure VASCONI Solo show - Tom WOOD PHOTO LONDON

16 - 19 mai 2019. Sommerset House – Stand A6

galerie Sit Down 4 rue Sainte-Anastase - 75003 Paris Tél : +33 (0)1 42 78 08 07 e-mail : [email protected] - www.sitdown.fr sur rendez-vous

Visuels presse sur demande Contact presse : galerie SIT DOWN Tél : +33 (0)6 64 12 06 96 – email : [email protected]

SIT DOWN………………………………………...……………….…… 4, rue sainte-anastase … 75003 paris … france … www.sitdown.fr … tél. 00 33 (0)1 42 78 08 07