Marcus Leatherdale
Marcus Leatherdale (born 1952 ) is a Canadian photographer .
New York in the 1980s
Leatherdale began his career in New York City in the early 1980s. He was Robert Mapplethorpe's office manager for a while and was photographed naked with a rope in his right hand and a rabbit in his left. He then worked for Sam Wagstaff as an assistant curator for a while . Leatherdale quickly became the darling of the then vibrant club scene and fashion-centric media: Interview , Details , The New Yorker , Vanity Fair and Elle Decor printed his photographs. But it also quickly found its way into art publications such as Artforum , Art News and Art in America . He documented the New York Life Style, the birds of paradise from Danceteria and Club 57 where his first exhibitions took place. Leatherdale was perhaps New York's most observant chronicler of the early 1980s. Most of his protagonists were unknown but extraordinary - like Larissa, Claudia Summers or Ruby Zebra - or already well known - like Madonna , Winston Tong and Divine , Trisha Brown , Lisa Lyon , Andrée Putman , Kathy Acker , Jodie Foster and fellow photographer John Dugdale . For a time Leatherdale was overshadowed by his mentor, former employer and friend Mapplethorpe. But at the latest when Christian Michelides invited him to a solo exhibition (with catalog) in Vienna, he was able to define and present himself as an independent artist. He flew to Vienna, presented his work, enthusiastic press and audience.
International recognition quickly led to solo exhibitions and acquisitions by internationally renowned institutions such as the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn , the Art Institute of Chicago , the Australian National Gallery in Canberra , the London Museum in Ontario and the Albertina in Vienna. The captivating portraits of New York personalities in the Hidden Identities series in particular attracted long-term interest from curators and collectors.
In India
From 1993, Leatherdale spent half of the year in India's holy city of Banaras . He lived in an old house in the center of town and photographed a wide variety of people, holy men and celebrities, common folk and ancient nobility. He had to proceed carefully and often long negotiations to get their approval for the portrait. From the beginning, his intention was to pay homage to the timeless spirit of the true India through very personal recordings of their representatives. Leatherdale photographed princesses and boatmen, movie stars and circus artists, beggars and bishops, mothers and their children in traditional costume. He documented how large parts of the country had remained largely untouched by the achievements of the modern age , his approach is explicitly post-colonial . From 1999 the photographer worked mainly in Chota Nagpur (in the state of Jharkhand ) and turned his attention to the Adivasis . His second home has been in Serra da Estrela in the mountains of central Portugal for some time .
Leatherdale's technique draws on 19th century techniques, oscillates between black / gray and sepia, underlining the timelessness of the portraits of his objects. The nuances and carefully crafted prints distinguish his work fundamentally from any form of fashion or reportage photography .
Charity
In 2002, a Medical Care Team in Chota Nagpur was created by Amit and Ilona Ghosh, Nilika Lal, Marcus Leatherdale and Jorge Serie. It is a private organization providing medical and financial support to the local population. The project supports accident victims and sick people, mediates and enables medical treatment, tries to enable those affected to lead a decent life.
Exhibitions
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Catalogs and book publications
- New York 1983 . His photographs and text by Kathy Acker and Christian Michelides . A book in a series on people and years. Vienna: Molotov 1983, ISBN 978-3-9503703-1-7
- Marcus Leatherdale: 1984-1987 . Introduction by Brooks Adams. Greathouse Gallery 1987
- Marcus Leatherdale 1980-1994 . 2009
- Hidden Identities. Selected Images from Details magazine 1982 to 1990. 2009
- Facing India. Portraits of Bharat-India. West Zone Pub Ltd 2010 ISBN 978-1903391266
- Adivasi. Portraits of Tribal India.
In 2010, Marcus Leatherdale founded theOMENmag , a quarterly online art magazine. He acts as an art editor and art director.
Web links
- Marcus Leatherdale , website of the photographer
- Marcus Leatherdale at Ralph Pucci Gallery on YouTube , TV report on an exhibition
- Tribal Visions: A Conversation with Marcus Leatherdale , interview with the photographer
- OMENmag , Internet Art Magazine, founded by Marcus Leatherdale
proof
- ↑ Patricia Morrisroe: Mapplethorpe: A Biography . New York: Random House 1995.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Leatherdale, Marcus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian photo artist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1952 |