TIM WALKER
Before you read further,
may I invite you to watch this video first?
I came across the name of Tim Walker a couple of years ago when still living with a Brazilian ceramics artist (page 42-43) here in London. She usually went to Brazil for a couple of months and left the house in the hands of mine and the ballerina living with us. The cozy living room looked like a little exhibition space and below a huge TV screen next to the fire place she kept some interesting and heavy coffee table books. Especially during the festive season or winter weekends, I loved to grab one of these books, sat down on the couch with a glass of wine and went through one of these books page by page. That’s how I learned about the photographer Tim Walker.
You’ve seen the video which summarises pretty much what you would see when you go to the exhibition at the V&A. Now, what do you think of Tim Walker’s work? What do you think of his pictures?
Frankly said, when I left the exhibition it was not only me who felt a little bit overwhelmed or overloaded with diverse impressions but also my new friend who joined me. He asked a great question next to others which proofed again how much more exciting and valuable it is to see an exhibitions with someone else.
“What do you recon people will think about his art in 50 years?”
I want to try giving an answer to that question from my very personal perspective as I’m not an art critic at all.
In the future, which we’ve learned we can’t predict anymore, I believe people will first recognise the FREEDOM Tim Walker had as an artist. A freedom to chose his topics, to work with magazines and celebrities. A freedom that reflects very much how privileged he is as an artist and photographer. I would say that’s also why the exhibition is called Beautiful Things. It works as a reminder in a world that is haunted by stress, 9-5 schedules, money and consumption instead of production to see those many beautiful things around us. Tim Walker takes you on a trip out of your daily routine for sure. With his nude photographs he will probably also take you out of your comfort zone because they seem so raw and authentic although put into phantasmal scenes compared to a Helmut Newton picture. There are themes that made me feel dark, mystic, edgy, “Londonish” but also beauty. In a world that is dictated by data, numbers, money, analytics and conformism, looking at the photographs of Tim is simply refreshing if not even inspiring.
In 50 years, we have 2070 and I’d be almost 90 years old. What would the young generation think of him? I do believe that they will identify more with him and his body of work than we do right now. They will be thankful to have the chance to travel back in time and explore how life was perceived 50 years back. I don’t believe they will think of Trump, Brexit or the huge issues with climate change we have now. They will see how free we as artist have been and how independent and how powerful.
I am a fan of fashion magazines I have to confess, a fan of those that have great articles to read and thought-provoking fashion shoots and stories to show, not the ones with some “bla bla” content combined with a lot of advertising. Those magazines offer a freedom of creation to great artists and photographers of our times. Fashion photography is an illusion. It’s nothing real. And I think the beauty of it all lies in the invitation to become part of this illusion and take a break from our busy hectic lifestyle.
Don’t you think it’s a nice welcome to engage our heart and mind differently?
“By working with magazines, you’re working with contemporary shapes, and models, and stylists, and make up, and hair. It becomes a contemporary picture. And I think it’s very important that the photographs are contemporary because they are in this time right now. ”
