Nick Waplington
12 Dec 2007 - 20 Jan 2008
Whitechapel Laboratory: Nick Waplington
One of Britain’s leading contemporary photographers, Nick Waplington is well known for photographs of his family and friends, of places and events that he has witnessed first hand. Taken as a whole they suggest an intimate diary yet also build up to provide a picture of our times, chronicling life on the streets of East London – where the artist lives and works – or at festivals, street parties and demonstrations.
Waplington first came to public notice with Living Room (1991), a photographic portrait based on the everyday lives of two close-knit working class families in Nottingham.
He often presents his work in book form, and the recent publication You Love Life (2005) brings together key elements of his practice: casual images of friends and lovers juxtaposed with more carefully composed, formal representations of the seemingly banal details that make up everyday life.
As well as the casual snapshot, Waplington’s photographs reference the grand traditions of history painting and landscape photography. Most recently, Waplington has been exploring notions of photographic “reality” by working with constructed and manipulated images, while also engaging in the phenomenon of internet Creative Commons. For the Whitechapel, he has created an installation which continues this investigation, leading from the Gallery out into the streets of Whitechapel.
One of Britain’s leading contemporary photographers, Nick Waplington is well known for photographs of his family and friends, of places and events that he has witnessed first hand. Taken as a whole they suggest an intimate diary yet also build up to provide a picture of our times, chronicling life on the streets of East London – where the artist lives and works – or at festivals, street parties and demonstrations.
Waplington first came to public notice with Living Room (1991), a photographic portrait based on the everyday lives of two close-knit working class families in Nottingham.
He often presents his work in book form, and the recent publication You Love Life (2005) brings together key elements of his practice: casual images of friends and lovers juxtaposed with more carefully composed, formal representations of the seemingly banal details that make up everyday life.
As well as the casual snapshot, Waplington’s photographs reference the grand traditions of history painting and landscape photography. Most recently, Waplington has been exploring notions of photographic “reality” by working with constructed and manipulated images, while also engaging in the phenomenon of internet Creative Commons. For the Whitechapel, he has created an installation which continues this investigation, leading from the Gallery out into the streets of Whitechapel.