Emily Crozier in Conversation with Iain Clark
MADE IN BED’s Editor-in-Chief, Emily Crozier, interviews the Scottish Photographer, Iain Clark, on his on-going project and recent success in the Scottish Portrait Awards. Clark’s photographs feature in the permanent collection of The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, and numerous private collections globally.
We are in the midst of a global pandemic, global climate change crisis, global protests, and, ironically, the Scottish Portrait Awards have returned to elevate the individual. Iain Clark delves into places of solace in his recent photography portrait series, which includes ‘SAM MCINNES’, featured in the SPA Photography Long List.
Did you capture these photographs with the Scottish Portrait Awards in mind? Were they taken specifically to be submitted?
I have mixed feelings about putting my work into awards as art is so subjective, but with lockdown the new normal I decided I would support the Scottish Portrait Awards this year.
The three portraits I submitted are part of an on-going project I am working on focusing on creative people and original thinkers. As an artist I am interested in exploring how other artists approach their lives and art. Being granted access to their studios and workspaces is a rare privilege as it helps me to get closer to the sitter and gives me a better understanding of how they go about their practice. It also gives me a starting point for the portrait.
I completely agree with your statement that “All people have an aura but not everyone is aware of that.”[1] The Photographs you chose to submit to SPA are unlike, say, your portrait ‘David Mach’. When it came to translating the aura of these subjects, how did you approach the composition/what was your artistic process?
When selecting a sitter there has to be something that I find intriguing about them. That could be the type of work they produce or the way they present themselves to the world. When I say that people may not be aware of their aura what I really mean and what I am trying to do in my practice is bring out something that they may not recognise in themselves.
The three portraits.
Sam McInnes is a recent graduate from Edinburgh College of Art. Sam has chosen to be an artist, in reality he is being extremely brave as there is little support and no roadmap to success as an artist. With Sam’s portrait I wanted to show both his bravery and his hesitation as he ponders his uncertain future. His look reminded me of Caravaggio in his self-portraits and I was keen to apply a sense of Caravaggio’s trademark Chiaroscuro to the image.
‘SAM MCINNES’, Courtesy of Iain Clark.
David J Mitchell is a sculptor producing both small and large scale figurative sculptures in a traditional manner. He explained to me that at art school his work was not popular with the teachers who deemed it old fashioned and condemned his practice. What struck me about him was his attitude and response to that criticism, he has stuck to his guns and is producing beautiful sculpture his own way. I wanted a timeless feel to his portrait, his artist’s smock and his facial hair could easily place him in the last century.
‘DAVID J MITCHELL’, Courtesy of Iain Clark.
Peter McGurn is a philosopher and an original thinker. I have had many discussions with him on all sorts of subjects and his breadth of knowledge astounds me. He is never opinionated and can look at most things from many different viewpoints. Of course, there is a nod to Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’ having Peter sit with his chin in his hand, the motif often used to portray philosophers. In the background his glasses sit beneath the sculpted head and the meandering tiles represent the uneasy journey of life.
‘PETER MCGURN’, Courtesy of Iain Clark.
The Scottish Portrait awards have said that this year they received “470 submissions for photography”[2]. That is almost double the 2019 entry and they have seen a particular rise in the number of entries from under 25-year-olds.[3] Why do you think there has been such an increase this year? Do you think this is a result of the Coronavirus pandemic?
Since the inception of the internet and digital photography especially with the vast improvement in the lenses used in smartphones, photography has exploded as a medium and now anyone is capable of easily producing acceptable images. For young people a regular part of their life is taking and posting images on social media. Every day 95 million images are shared on Instagram with over 40 billion images uploaded since its inception (including four million posts of Sourdough loaves). These are mind blowing statistics so it’s not surprising to see the rise in the number of entries especially by the under 25 year-olds. There is no doubt that with the pause button pressed on our normal lives due to the pandemic, people have had more time to explore their creative side.
How has the Coronavirus pandemic impacted your work?
During lockdown I was out every day with my camera recording the strangeness of it all, it’s not really something I want to exhibit right now as we are all sick of Coronavirus. However, there will come a time when what I have recorded will be of interest. Otherwise not too much has changed apart from my ability to travel abroad with my camera. Plans I was formulating are on hold right now.
Who are some of your favourite Portrait Photographers right now?
I think London based William Waterworth is producing stunning images; dark, unsettling and incredibly atmospheric.
Rehahn who travels extensively has produced some brilliant Cuban portraits.
In a similar vein I also love Eric Laggorgue. He has an incredible portfolio of work from all over the globe including an excellent cycle of images from North Korea.
Any final comments? Is there anything upcoming you would like to share with us?
I will share my pandemic lockdown self-portrait
‘LOCKDOWN SELF PORTRAIT’, Courtesy of Iain Clark.