Edmund Clark Explained

Edmund Clark HonFRPS is a British artist and photographer whose work explores politics, representation, incarceration and control. His research based work combines a range of references and forms including bookmaking, installations, photography, video, documents, text and found images and material. Several of his projects explore the War on Terror.^[1]

His notable projects include Guantanamo: If The Light Goes Out,^{[2] [3]} Control Order House,^{[4] [5] [6]} The Mountains of Majeed,^{[7] [8] [9]} and Negative Publicity: Artefacts of Extraordinary Rendition (in collaboration with researcher and writer Crofton Black).^{[10] [11]} Edmund Clark's awards include the 2009 International Photography Award from The British Journal of Photography,^[12] 2016 Rencontres d'Arles Photo-Text Book Award^[13] and 2017 Infinity Award in Documentary and Photojournalism category from International Center of Photography.^[14] In 2018 Clark was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society. Edmund Clark was the Ikon Gallery's artist-in-residence at Europe's only wholly therapeutic community prison, HM Prison Grendon from 2014 until 2018. Supported by the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust, the residency culminated in the publication of My Shadow's Reflection (Ikon Gallery: Birmingham and Here Press: London) and a solo exhibition In Place of Hate at Ikon Gallery.^{[15] [16] [17]}

Life and career

Clark worked as a researcher in London and Brussels before gaining a postgraduate diploma in photojournalism at London College of Communication.^[18]

He gained access to Guantanamo Bay detention camp and to a house under a control order (housing an individual held under the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011). His book Control Order House is his response to a period he spent staying in a house with a man known as 'CE' who had been placed under a Control Order due to his suspected involvement with terrorist-related activity. Clark spent three days working in the house taking a large number of quick, uncomposed photographs surveying the site. These images, along with architectural plans of the house, redacted documents relating to the case and a diary kept by 'CE' form a portrait of sorts: of the site and its inhabitant and of the structure of legal restriction imposed and represented by the house.^[19]

Publications

• Still Life: Killing Time. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2007.
• Guantanamo: If the Light Goes Out. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2010.
• Control Order House. London: Here, 2013. . Edition of 250 copies.
  • Second edition. London: Here, 2016. . Edition of 500 copies.
• The Mountains of Majeed. London: Here, 2014. . 8 photographs, 4 paintings by Majeed, 3 Taliban poems. Edition of 450 copies.
• Negative Publicity: Artefacts of Extraordinary Rendition. New York: Aperture and Magnum Foundation, 2016. .
  • Second edition. New York: New York: Aperture and Magnum Foundation, 2017.
• My Shadow's Reflection. London: Here; Birmingham: Ikon Gallery, 2018. . Edition of 1000 copies.

Awards

• 2009: International Photography Award, British Journal of Photography^[20]
• 2011: Best Photography Book of the Year at the International Photography Awards/Lucie Awards^{[21] [22]}
• 2011: Best Book of the Year Award at the New York Photo Awards^[23]
• 2012: Shortlisted for Prix Pictet: Power^[24]
• 2012: Best Book of the Year, Premio Ponchielli, GRIN Italian Photography Editors Association^[25]
• 2012: Winner Zeit Magazin Fotopreis
• 2013: John Kobal Foundation Grant^[26]
• 2011 & 2013: Best Books of the Year, Kassel Photobook Award^{[27] [28]}
• 2014: Magnum Foundation Grant^[29]
• 2011 & 2015: The Roddick Foundation Grant^[30]
• 2016: Rencontres d'Arles Photo-Text Book Award^[31]
• 2017: W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Fellowship^[32]
• 2017: Infinity Award, International Center of Photography^[33]
• 2014: Shortlisted for the Prix Pictet for Guantánamo: If the Light Goes Out^{[34] [35]}
• 2018: Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society^[36]

Exhibitions

• The Mountains of Majeed, Flowers Gallery, London, 27 February – 4 April 2015^{[37] [38] [39] [40]}
• Edmund Clark: Terror Incognitus, Zephyr, Reiss Engelhorn Museum, Mannheim, 31 January – 3 July 2016^[41]
• Edmund Clark: War of Terror, Imperial War Museum, London, 28 July 2016 – 28 August 2017^{[42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48]}
• In Place of Hate, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, 6 December 2017 – 11 March 2018^{[49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61]}
• Edmund Clark: The Day the Music Died, International Center of Photography, New York, NY, 26 January – 6 May 2018^{[62] [63] [59]}
• Unseen Conflicts – War on Terror, Parrotta Contemporary Art, Cologne and Bonn, 7 September – 10 November 2018^{[64] [65]}

Permanent collections

• Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland ^[66]
• George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY, USA ^[67]
• Grinnell College, IA, USA
• Imperial War Museum, London, UK ^{[68] [69]}
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA ^[70]
• National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, UK ^[71]
• National Portrait Gallery, London, UK ^[72]

External links

• • Edmund Clark on Flowers Gallery website
• Edmund Clark on Parrotta Contemporary Art website
• Edmund Clark on East Wing website
• Biography on Prix pictet
• Edmund Clark Q&A Telegraph

Notes and References

1. Web site: The long read: Edmund Clark and Crofton Black on the War on Terror . . 29 May 2020 . 1 August 2016.
2. Web site: Official website . 29 May 2020.
3. News: Lane . Guy . If the Light Goes Out: Edmund Clark's pictures of Guantánamo Bay . . 3 November 2010 . 29 May 2020.
4. Web site: Official website . 29 May 2020.
5. News: Clark . Edmund . Edmund Clark: control order house . Financial Times . 8 March 2013 . 29 May 2020.
6. Web site: O'Hagan . Sean . At home with a suspected terrorist . . 3 June 2013 . 29 May 2020.
7. Web site: Official website . 29 May 2020.
8. News: Smyth . Dian . Edmund Clark photographed Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base, home to more than 40,000 people . . 29 May 2020 . 7 July 2015.
9. Web site: Brook . Pete . The 40,000 People on Bagram Air Base Haven't Actually Seen Afghanistan . . 29 May 2020 . 24 February 2015.
10. Web site: Official website . 29 May 2020.
11. Web site: Bayley . Bruno . Exposing the Black Sites Behind Extraordinary Rendition . . 29 May 2020 . 22 March 2016.
12. Web site: Abel-Hirsch . Hannah . BJP International Photography Award: Past winners . . 29 May 2020 . 29 November 2017.
13. Web site: ANNOUNCING 2016 PHOTO-TEXT BOOK AWARD . . 29 May 2020.
14. Web site: ICP Announces 2017 Infinity Awards . International Center of Photography . 10 January 2017 . 29 May 2020.
15. Web site: Green . Miranda . In Place of Hate: Edmund Clark's new work from Grendon prison . FT Magazine . Financial Times . 29 May 2020 . 29 November 2017.
16. Web site: Ramm . Jessica . IN PLACE OF HATE . MAP Magazine . 6 March 2018 . 29 May 2020.
17. News: Edmund Clark's immersive study of prison life goes on show at the Ikon Gallery . 1854 Photography . 29 May 2020 . 1 December 2017.
18. Web site: Prix Pictet Biography. 20 June 2012 . 4 February 2013.
19. Web site: Recent Acquisitions. 13 May 2014 . .
20. Web site: BJP International Photography Award: Past winners . British Journal of Photography . 29 May 2020.
21. Web site: 2011 lucie awards – october 24, 2011 rose theatre, jazz at lincoln center, new york. . 29 May 2020.
22. Web site: IPA Winners 2011 .
23. Web site: New York Photo Awards 2011 - General Category Winners . Vimeo . 29 May 2020.
24. Web site: Power: The Fourth Prix Pictet Shortlist . 29 May 2020.
25. Web site: Ponchielli Prize 2012 . 29 May 2020.
26. Web site: Awards & Grants . 29 May 2020.
27. Web site: Kassel Photobook Award 2013 . 29 May 2020.
28. Web site: Kassel Photobook Award 2011 . 29 May 2020.
29. Web site: MAGNUM FOUNDATION EMERGENCY FUND GRANTEES ANNOUNCED! . 29 May 2020.
30. Web site: The Roddick Foundation . 29 May 2020.
31. Web site: ANNOUNCING 2016 PHOTO-TEXT BOOK AWARD . 29 May 2020.
32. Web site: 2017 Grant Recipients . 29 May 2020.
33. Web site: ICP Announces 2017 Infinity Awards . 10 January 2017 . 29 May 2020.
34. Web site: Edmund Clark - Prix Pictet - The global award in photography and sustainability. www.prixpictet.com. 20 June 2012 .
35. News: Political, provocative, personal: photography to look forward to. 16 August 2012 . 14 September 2016 . Sean . O'Hagan . Sean O'Hagan (journalist) . . London .
36. Web site: 10 December 2018. The Royal Photographic Society Awards 2018. rps.org. 4 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181204113432/http://www.rps.org/news/2018/november/the-royal-photographic-society-awards-2018. dead.
37. Web site: Edmund Clark: The Mountains of Majeed . . 15 May 2020 .
38. Web site: The Mythical Beauty of Afghanistan is Invisible to the Military . 11 February 2015 . . 15 May 2020 . Marcus . Thompson.
39. Web site: The idyllic art of Bagram airbase: Edmund Clark's Mountains of Majeed . 9 February 2015 . The Guardian . 15 May 2020 . Sean . O'Hagan.
40. Web site: The 40,000 People on Bagram Air Base Haven't Actually Seen Afghanistan . 24 February 2015 . . 15 May 2020 . Pete . Brook.
41. Web site: Press release . Zephyr, Reiss Engelhorn Museum . 15 May 2020.
42. Web site: Press Release . . 15 May 2020.
43. Web site: The artist peering into the darkest corners of the War on Terror: From suburbia to Guantanamo . 22 July 2016 . . 16 September 2016 . Alex . King.
44. Book: Herd, Colin . August 2016 . Security Measures . Aesthetica.
45. News: A new exhibition paints the war on terror as a bureaucratic nightmare . 10 August 2016 . The Economist. 15 May 2020.
46. News: An Artist Takes an Unflinching Look at the Fight Against Terror. 18 August 2016 . 15 May 2020 . Farah . Nayeri . .
47. Web site: War of Terror: Edmund Clark at the Imperial War Museum, London. 3 September 2016 . 15 May 2020 . Joy . Stacey . .
48. Web site: A Frightening Take on the War on Terror at the IWM. 9 September 2016 . 15 May 2020 . Melanie . Vandenbrouck . .
49. Web site: Edmund Clark: In Place of Hate . . 15 May 2020 .
50. Web site: Bock and Clark share a sensitive approach to their subjects . 15 February 2018 . . 15 May 2020 . Elizabeth . Fullerton.
51. Web site: Edmund Clark: In Place of Hate . 18 January 2018 . Elephant . 15 May 2020 . Rosalind . Duguid.
52. Web site: Interview - Edmund Clark . 17 January 2018 . E-International Relations . 15 May 2020 . Edward . Fairhead.
53. Web site: Edmund Clark's immersive study of prison life goes on show at the Ikon Gallery . 1 December 2017 . . 15 May 2020.
54. Web site: In Place of Hate: Edmund Clark's new work from Grendon prison . 29 November 2017 . . 15 May 2020 . Miranda . Green.
55. Web site: Edmund Clark at HMP Grendon . 5 April 2017 . Plinth . 15 May 2020 . Emily . Watkins.
56. Web site: The Day the Music Died: the exhibition pairing Don McLean with Guantánamo Bay. 29 January 2018 . . 15 May 2020 . Gülnaz . Can.
57. Web site: War against terrorism through the eyes of Edmund Clark . 6 February 2018 . L’Oeil de la Photographie . 15 May 2020.
58. Web site: Photographs Trace US Government Abuses, from Manzanar to Guantánamo . 5 March 2018 . . 15 May 2020 . Marjorie . Backman.
59. Web site: 'Edmund Clark: The Day the Music Died' Mounted at ICP Museum . 29 January 2018 . . 15 May 2020 . Kristen . Tauer.
60. Web site: Photographer edmund clark urges his audience to contemplate the war on terror . 26 January 2018 . . 15 May 2020 . Pimploy . Phongsirivech.
61. Web site: America's Response to International Terrorism As Seen by Edmund Clark . 22 December 2017 . Widewalls . 15 May 2020 . Elena . Martinique.
62. Web site: Edmund Clark: The Day the Music Died . 8 August 2017 . . 15 May 2020.
63. Web site: Edmund Clark: The Mountains of Majeed . . 15 May 2020 .
64. Web site: Press release . 15 May 2020.
65. Web site: Press release . 15 May 2020.
66. Web site: Edmund Clark . Edmund Clark - Artist - Collection . Fotomuseum.ch . 2020-05-30.
67. Web site: George Eastman Museum . Collections.eastman.org . 2017-12-08 . 2020-05-30.
68. Web site: Imperial War Museums . Iwm.org.uk . 2020-05-30.
69. Web site: Collection: CLARK EDMUND (MR) | Imperial War Museums . Iwm.org.uk . 2011-05-10 . 2020-05-30.
70. Web site: The MFAH Collections . Emuseum.mfah.org . 2020-05-30.
71. Web site: Edmund Clark | Science Museum Group Collection.
72. Web site: Edmund Clark - National Portrait Gallery.