For thirty years, Tom Wood has trained his unblinking eye on the streets of working-class Liverpool, largely forgotten by the rest of Britain. There they call him “Photie Man.” In the home of the Beatles lies a parallel society, set adrift, with its own codes and language. Tom Wood observes this world, shooting it from every angle with absolute realism, far removed from the humor of his friend, Martin Paar, or the engaged cinema of Kenneth Loach. From these raw, almost cruel images, a strange, gnawing poetry is born.
This large collection of thirty or so documentary photographs allows the viewer to penetrate into the private lives of families. None of the images are “stolen”; the subjects appear denuded (literally and figuratively) in a complete complicity with the photographer. The work impresses with its precision and audacity. We see not merely victims of poverty, but moving images of men and women, the young and old. These are scenes from daily life of world of adolescents with shaved heads, girls in seductive poses, and the elderly, as worn down as their surroundings…
Whether in black-and-white or color, the photos express the same poetic realism: the sheer misery of the setting, the décor, the clothing, endow this work with surprising expressive power. Liverpool has of course changed since these were taken in 1975, through the punk years and the devastation of Thatcherism. The city experienced a post-industrial revolution and turned towards modernity, but this culture of survival still exists. Unfortunately, Tom Wood will hardly struggle to find new subjects: the material is as abundant as ever.
Paul Alessandrini
Tom Wood « 1978-2003, Les Années Liverpool »
November 5, 2011 – January 21, 2012
Galerie Sit Down
4 Rue Ste Anastase
75003 Paris
01 42 78 08 07
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 14h – 19h. Closed Sunday – Monday.
Tom Wood’s work will also be on display at the gallery Le bleu du ciel as part of the Biennale d’Art Contemporain in Lyon.
