Daily Constitutional Special Correspondent David Tucker writes…
Literature, says C.S. Lewis, “admits us to experiences other
than our own.”
Goes on to say, “the man who is contented to be only
himself, and therefore less a self, is in prison. My own eyes are not enough
for me, I will see through those of others.”
Forty others in the case of Outsiders in London, the
small-but-guaranteed-to-stop-you-in-your-tracks photo exhibition in the Crypt
at St. Martin in the Fields, the old church in Trafalgar Square.
Without naming names, there are quite a few big ticket
affairs in London right now I’d give a miss to if I had to choose between seeing
them and spending an hour or so in that makeshift little gallery getting to
know those 40 Londoners.
It’s a potent combination. Those faces. Their stories. That
arrow-in-the-heart subtitle: ARE YOU ONE, TOO?
And that’s not to mention the virtuosity of the image
making. Camera shamra. We’re not in the realm of cameradom here. Those 40
portraits are masterpieces. We’re not just seeing 40 London outsiders – seeing
right into them. We’re seeing what
they see. Seeing with their eyes.
It’s a stunning achievement. Those images are beautiful.
They’re humbling. They’re provocative.
Their creator – the photographer – is Milan Svanderlik. And,
yes, if you insist, he’s Croatian, knows whereof he photographs by virtue of
being an “outsider” himself.
That’s paint-by-numbers criticism. On a par with the ho hum
inducement: there are a couple of famous faces hanging up there.
Svanderlik’s work – this exhibition – deserves better. It deserves you doing it
the justice and doing yourself the favour of making sure you don’t miss it. And
you don’t have much time – it closes on May 8.
Below, a couple of photographs of photographs,
and a (for lack of a better word) vignette.
Outsiders In London: Are You One Too? runs to 8th May 2015, Cafe in The Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
A small correction of fact : The photographer is not Croatian - he is actually Bohemian ( born in Czechoslovakia to Czech parents). He did live in Croatia at one stage and he was partly educated in Croatia - part of Yugoslavia.
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