What We Already Know
The work of photographer
and artist Richard Page presents luminous images that collectively depict an
unsettling and unsettled landscape. Employing shallow focus, the buildings
and spaces he photographs appear reductive, where scale becomes deeply deceptive,
and our scrutiny can become more intense. The images are taken in areas on
the fringes of cities; anonymous places which reflect a new breed of generic
architecture, familiar across cities throughout the UK. We see tower blocks
and call centres, parks and streetlamps, suburban housing and service stations,
places and sites so commonplace they almost function subliminally. Page’s
subjects provoke a sense of unfamiliarity, yet the dramatic ambience of the
imagery conjures up the scenario of ‘b-movie’ aesthetic, a crime
scene or something unusual – yet we cannot be sure of what that may be.
This imbues the illuminated pictures with an underlying sense of anxiety, which
pertinently mirrors the climate of fear that bubbles beneath the surface of
our media-driven culture today.
Richard Page was the recipient of the Jerwood
Photography Award in 2004 for his series Suburban Exposures, which was exhibited
at Focal Point Gallery in Southend. His first major monograph, What We Already
Know was published by Ffotogallery in 2007, accompanying a solo touring exhibition.
His work has been published in Portfolio magazine and reviewed in the Guardian,
Source, Art Review, Artists Newsletter and Royal Academy magazines.
Education
2001
- 03
MA
Photographic Studies - University of Westminster, London
1993
- 96
BA
(Hons) Film & Photography - University of Wales, Newport
Awards
2006
Arts
Council of Wales, Project Grant
2004
The
Jerwood Photography Award 2004
Lecturing
Posts
Swansea
Metropolitan University (Senior Lecturer in Photography, 2002 - ongoing)
Cardiff University (Associate Lecturer, 2000 - ongoing)
University of Wales, Newport (Part-time Lecturer, 1997 - 2005)
The Royal Photographic Society, Bath (Workshop Leader, 1998 - 2002)
Skjeberg Folkehoyskole, Norway (Workshop Leader, 2004 & 2005)
University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (Visiting Lecturer, 2000 - 2002)
Coleg Glan Hafren, Cardiff (Part-time Lecturer, 2000 - 2004)
Howardian Centre, Cardiff (Part-time Tutor, 1997 - 2008)
Welsh School of Architecture (Visiting Lecturer, 1999 - 2001)
Atlantic International College (Visiting Lecturer, 1999 & 2000)
Residencies & Commissions
The
Awning Project - The Awning Project, Bristol (2004)
Ha Ha: Margam Revisited
- Ffotogallery, Cardiff (2002)
St. Josephs Comprehensive School / Ffotogallery
/ Cwaith Cymru (2002)
Rhondda Cynon Taff Arts Development Unit / Education
Extra (2001)
A470 Project - Ffotogallery, Cardiff / Oriel Mostyn Gallery,
Llandudno (2001)
St. Marks Comprehensive School / The Royal Photographic
Society, Bath (2000)
Canna Centre, Penwaen / National Museums & Galleries
of Wales, Cardiff (2000)
Newport - A Day In The Life - The Agency@Newport
: University of Wales College, Newport (2000)
Quality Britain - The British
Embassy Magazine in Japan (1999)
Opt for Art / Ffotogallery / Ynysawdre
Comprehensive School (1999)
Ely Hospital Project - Ffotogallery / Ely Hospital
for Special Needs, Cardiff (1997)
Cardiff Cyber Café (1997)
Wysing
Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire (1996)
Solo
Exhibitions
What
We Already Know : Ffotogallery, Cardiff (2007)
Landscapes from the Tryweryn
Valley (touring exhibition);
Llanrwst Alms House, Llandudno (2004)
Maidstone
Museum & Art Gallery (2003)
Rhyl Museum (2002)
Williamson Museum & Art
Gallery, Birkenhead (2002)
Wrexham Arts Centre (2000)
Altena Museum & Art
Gallery, Germany (2002)
The Royal Photographic Society, Bath (1999)
Group
Exhibitions
Unreliable
Truths : Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea (2008)
Crash Worship : Tactile
Bosch, Cardiff (2008)
Fantasy / Denial : Ffotogallery, Cardiff (2008)
If
We Build It, They Will Come : Gallery 39, Cardiff (2008)
Interruptions
in Time : The London Gallery West, London (2007)
Relocation : Plymouth
University, School of Art & Design (2006)
Coagulation : Tactile Bosch,
Cardiff, part of Cardiff Contemporary Art Month (2005)
The Jerwood Photography
Award 2004 : The Jerwood Space, London (2004), touring to;
Open Eye,
Liverpool (2005),
The Cooper Gallery, Dundee (2005) & Bury St Edmunds
Art Gallery (2006)
Arts & Craft Exhibition : National Eisteddfod of Wales, Newport
(2004)
Twenty Shadows : Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, Essex (2004)
Blind Site : The Hanbury Gallery, London, touring to;
the London Gallery
West (2003), Ha Ha: Margam Revisited : Ffotogallery, Cardiff (2002)
Capel
Celyn - The Artist’s Response : Canolfan y Plase, Bala, Wales (2002)
But
still… : Gallery 39, Cardiff (2002)
A470 : Oriel Mostyn Gallery,
Llandudno (2001), touring to;
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff (2001)
The
RPS 144th International Print Exhibition : The Potteries Museum & Art
Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent (2001), touring to; The Place Gallery, Letchworth
Garden City (2001), Aberystwyth Arts Centre (2001) and Wyeside Arts Centre
(2001).
Coast : ArtSway Gallery for Contemporary Arts, Hampshire (2001)
Open Lens : Forest Arts Centre, Hampshire (2000)
Arts & Craft Exhibition
: National Eisteddfod of Wales, Llanelli (2000)
Afon : River : Oriel
Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno (2000)
Ffotoannual 99 : Ffotogallery, Cardiff
(1999)
Viewpoints : Artsway Gallery for Contemporary Arts, Hampshire
(1998)
Publications
/ Exhibition Catalogues
Unreliable
Truths (Swansea: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, 2008)
Richard Page – What
We Already Know (Cardiff: Ffotogallery, 2007)
Arts & Craft Exhibition
(Newport: National Eisteddfod of Wales, 2004)
Ha Ha: Margam Revisited (Cardiff:
Ffotogallery / Seren, 2002)
The RPS 144th International Print Exhibition
(Bath: The Royal Photographic Society, 2001)
Richard Page – Tirluniau
o Gwm Tryweryn (Wrexham: Wrexham Arts Centre, 2000)
Arts & Craft Exhibition
(Llanelli: National Eisteddfod of Wales, 2000)
Afon : River (Llandudno:
Oriel Mostyn Gallery, 2000)
Viewpoints (Hampshire: Artsway Gallery for
Contemporary Arts, 1998)
Wysing Arts 1995 – 1996 (Cambridge: Wysing
Arts Centre, 1996)
Selected
Articles / Reviews
Jesse
Alexander, Paranoid Looking, Source (No. 50 / Spring 2007)
Franscesca
Genovese, Richard Page: Suburban Exposures, Re:Imaging Wales (November
2006)
Andy Golding, New Photography Chinese Contemporary Photography,
(March, 2005)
Diane Smyth, Jerwood Prize Rewards Rising Stars, British
Journal of Photography (05/01/2005)
Amna Malik, Jerwood Photography Award,
2004, Portfolio (No. 40 / December 2004)
Jerwood Photography Awards,
Hot Shoe (No. 133 / December 2004/January 2005)
Sophie Morris, New Talent
Snap up Photography Award, The Independent (3/12/2004)
Franscesca Genovese,
Twenty Shadows, Artists’ Newsletter (July 2004)
Mark Bolland, Twenty
Shadows, Andy Lock and Richard Page, Source (No. 39 / Summer 2004)
Sarah
Browne, Blanchardstown, Circa (No. 110 / Winter 2004)
Iwan Bala, The
Trauma of Tryweryn, Here & Now; Essays on Contemporary Art in Wales
(Seren, 2003)
Jennifer Wright, A Warm Look at Winter Photography, Kent
Arts Now (No. 27 / March 2003)
Iwan Bala, Capel Celyn – A Collective
Trauma Visualised, Planet (No. 152 / April 2002)
Heather Phillipson,
Blinc and …But Still, Artists’ Newsletter (March 2002)
Caroline
Juler, On the Road, Art Review (June 2001)
Robert Clark, A470, The Guardian
- Guide (7/4/2001)
Tudur Dylan Jones, Lluniau Tryweryn, Taliesin (No.
110 / Winter 2000)
Caroline Juler, The Green, Green Grass of Home, The
Royal Academy Magazine (No. 68 / Autumn 2000)
Darren Waters, Tryweryn
Exhibition, The Western Mail (24/6/2000 & 26/6/2000)
Penny Fray,
Ghosts of a Lost Landscape, The Daily Post - Liverpool & North Wales
(23/6/2000)
Caroline Juler, Afon : River, Galleries Magazine (May 2000)
Altenaer Kreisblatt (25/3/2000, 17/4/2000 & 18/4/2000)
Jennie Savage,
Landscapes from the Tryweryn Valley, Skip Magazine - Contemporary Art
in Wales (Aug/Sept. 1999)
Emma Maiden, Water’s Edge, Venue Magazine
(25/6/1999)
The British Journal of Photography (23/6/1999)
Jonathan Jones,
Landscapes from the Tryweryn Valley, The Guardian - G2 (14/6/1999)
