Description

In 2012 British photographer Mark Power embarked on a long-term photographic survey of America. Power aims to finish the project in 2022, covering the whole of Obama’s second term, Trump’s first, and the start of whoever comes next. By shooting in all 50 states, Power’s work grapples with the complexities of American culture and politics as they are manifest in the landscape. He offers the perspective of a British photographer raised on American cultural exports.

Pictured here, a fire in a former elementary school. Persall, Texas. January 14, 2018.

 

I keep a physical and metaphorical distance between myself and the subject

Mark Power
© Mark Power | Magnum Photos

Mark Power’s complex, meticulously crafted images – usually made with a large format camera – have earned him a reputation as one of the forerunners of British photography. Power’s interest in photography began as a child, when he discovered his father’s rudimentary enlarger made out of an upturned flower pot, a domestic light bulb and a simple camera lens.

He went to art school, a foundation course at Loughborough College of Art (1977-78) followed by a BA in Fine Art at Brighton Polytechnic (1978-81), specialising in painting and drawing in the landscape and liferoom. He turned to photography in 1983, following a two-year trip exploring South-East Asia and Australia.

Known for his seminal work exploring the far-flung locations esoterically described in the BBC’s iconic Shipping Forecast, Power has adeptly expressed the peculiarities of social culture in places as varied as Britain, Poland and America. Power lives in Brighton, on the south coast of England. He joined Magnum Photos as a Nominee in 2002, and became a full Member in 2007.

© Mark Power | Magnum Photos

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