All images © John Maclean
Accomplished street photographer John Maclean has been on our radar for some time now. Born in Buckinghamshire in 1969, John spent part of his childhood in Canada and the United States. Apparently, he began using a camera at the age of 14 when he discovered the book American Images, featuring the work of Garry Winogrand, Robert Frank, Lewis Baltz and John Gossage. After studying mathematics, physics and geology he went on to graduate in photography at the University of Derby. He subsequently worked at The Royal College of Art for four years. John has been a London-based, freelance photographer since 1998, using commercial commissions to support an independent, fine-art practice. His photographs have been widely published in books and periodicals and he has self-published six books – held in the National Art Archive at The Victoria and Albert Museum and private collections.
The images shown above are taken from his latest project, simply titled City. "The intention of this body of work," says Maclean "is not to document specific cities or individuals – it is an endeavour to construct my own city through photographs."
"City is a place pieced together by utilising both photography’s assets and its limitations – it is consciously photographic. The resulting worldview is a sparsely populated, absurd theatre. A stage set of caves, screens, portals and ambiguous landscapes. A city built on the foundations of an inherently surreal medium that can’t help but veil, dislocate, displace and abstract."
A full archive of artist’s statements, texts, interviews and bibliography can be found at www.jmaclean.co.uk
In the run up to Christmas (yes we can´t ignore it much longer) why not treat yourself or a loved one to one of his fantastic limited-edition book projects? Check out the complete list on his website and order yours now.
