Nearly Nothing: An Exhibition of International Photographers

This exhibition rekindles the historic debate as to whether photographers can be considered image makers rather than purely documenters. The exhibition further questions how much information we need to read an image, whether we need to be able to read an image at all, what level of accompanying text is required to make such images comprehensible.

These photographers use the camera to create innovative, poetic images rather than simply to record: photographing scenes where there is no immediately obvious subject matter (as with Gerd Hasler's waterscapes, in which water is reduced to monochrome images; Mike Whelan's series of interiors abstracted to light and form; and Mark Bellingham's photographs taken from moving trains, allowing for chance compositions), photographing what is not quite there (Nicola Probert's photograph of her parents' half-hearted redecorating attempts), or photographing the outright invisible (Isidro Ramirez's documentation of the scenes of his dreams and longings).
Equally, there are more literal photographs of nothingness: Hamish Pringle, in his first photographic project, photographs a sealed window in St Tropez; Kelly Hill photographs her daughter in a hazy light in an attempt to suggest the fragility of childhood.

Participating photographers
Mark Bellingham
Gerd Hasler
Kelly Hill
Jockel Liess
Hamish Pringle
Nicola Probert
Isidro Ramirez
Gregor Stephan
Mike Whelan

Hinterspace by Steve Gross, commissioned to accompany Nearly Nothing:
In the blurring of the edges
The whisper is heard
With more urgency than
The shout can draw attention
To
This is all that this is all about
Listen particularly for
The sweetness of the singer when lingering
For a whisper delivered as a kiss
In the issue of art we are all missionaries
Waiting for the congregation to enable us to sing our song
Whilst longing to be heard
All we have is
The urgency of silence
As we combine our wishing to
Bring the kissing on.
How delightfully insightful to be able to
See through to get a new glimpse
Of the dreamstate contingency which
Eclipses us to simplify love.
Catalogue entry by
Dominic Patterson: postdoctural research assistant at Glasgow University

Exhibition dates:
12th July to 17th August 2008

Exhibition open
Monday to Friday, 9-5pm
Saturday and Sunday, 12-4pm

Admission
Free

Venue
Viewfinder Photography Gallery,
Linear House, Peyton Place, off Royal Hill,
Greenwich, London SE10 8RS

Transport
Greenwich (DLR and Rail, 8 mins from London Bridge)
Cutty Sark (DLR)

Contact the curator Louise Forrester for more information:
gallery@viewfinder.org.uk
020 8858 8351
07949 764 022
www.viewfinder.org.uk
The Viewfinder Photography Gallery is a not-for-profit gallery in Greenwich, south east London, which shows the work of emerging art photographers.