IAN GAVAN PHOTOGRAPHY
The London based photographer is mostly commissioned by clients and focuses largely on Fashion and Dance imagery.
Your greatest inspirations or influences?
As a college kid I'd be in the library checking out all the photography books. I remember finding a book on music photography and being blown away by the work of Jill Furmanovsky. May years later I got to introduced to her and now we're friends which is awesome. At University I got into Ralph Gibson and Garry Winodrand in a big way, plus Robert Frank, Bresson and Saul Leiter for both his colour street and fashion work. I am also fascinated by the work of Andy Summers.
Tell us a bit about your creative process and things you are looking forward to this year..
I like to randomise things and shoot outside my usual comfort zone or team up with other creative people. It's also great to experiment with blending daring lighting techniques with other risky photographic strategies to find new ways of expressing ideas.
How has this year changed your creativity or how you see the world changing moving forward?
Due to the Pandemic I've been working on a lot more creative collaborations with people I've worked on before. Some of these works have turned out to be quite important as they have helped me land some of the bigger commissions I did in 2020. I am really enjoying working on more creative projects as I have a little more time in my diary.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
I think the world is in a pretty precarious place right now. There are quite a few very big problems to solve. Elon Musk genuinely seems to want to make the planet better for everyone. We really need more visionary, altruistic people like him right now. Also, the Epidemiologists , Virologists, Doctors, Professors, Nurses, Health Workers, Carers and all the other Key Workers who have put in such a huge effort to keep society and civilisation going and find a solution for this GLobal Pandemic are ALL icons of our time.
Do you think the art world needs to change, and if so how can it be improved.
Imagine Lockdown without books, films, music, dramas and all other forms of art?
I hope the general public have a new found appreciation for all that art that has nourished their soul and kept them sane during this Pandemic. Art and Artists are so important. Without them there wouldn't be much optimism or inspiration in the world and very little to live for. Let's hope that the world emerges from the pandemic desperately hungry for new live music, new shows, unseen dance productions, exciting cinema, new gallery exhibitions and all the starving artists can begin to earn a decent standard of living.
What does wellbeing mean to you Ian?
Wellbeing to me means leading a balanced life, with time divided carefully between friends, family, adventure, travel, work, caring for people who need help, sharing wisdom and ideas, exercise, sleep and recreation.
Instagram @iangav
