Birmingham-based photographer Pogus Caesar has a new book coming out, specially commissioned by Be Birmingham and published by Punch and OOM Gallery Archive.

‘Sparkbrook Pride’ consists of 70 black-and-white photos of residents of Sparkbrook, Birmingham – where Pogus grew up – all taken with his trademark Canon Sureshot camera.

The book also has a foreword written by Benjamin Zephaniah and an introduction by Paris-based photographer Nigel Dickinson. In the foreword Zephaniah says “I love the ‘rawness’ of these photos, they have a sense of place, yet nothing is staged, and the only information Pogus gives us about those featured is how they define themselves, nothing more. We need no more. So people – it is down to us to piece together the rest of this multicultural puzzle”.

Last Autumn Pogus visited Sparkbrook several times, and the striking images in ‘Sparkbrook Pride’ are the result. Documenting the diverse individuals who live and work in the area, the book features both the long-standing residents from the West Indies, Ireland, India and Pakistan and the more recent additions to the community from Somalia, Sudan, Malawi and Afghanistan, celebrating the rich cultural mix that defines the area.

Be Birmingham, in association with Punch and OOM Gallery Archive, will launch Sparkbrook Pride in Spring 2011.

The New York Public Library

Gregory R. Miller & Co. and D.A.P.

present

LYLE ASHTON HARRIS

in conversation with

CHUCK CLOSE

celebrating the publication of

Lyle Ashton Harris’ new book

EXCESSIVE EXPOSURE

published by Gregory R. Miller & Co.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 6PM

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Margaret Liebman Forum, 2nd Floor

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street

www.nypl.org | www.grmandco.com | www.artbook.com

This publication is available to buy at the Gallery in the Shop or by mail-order (+£2.00 p&p). 

To place your order please send a cheque made payable to Impressions Gallery or call the gallery shop directly on 01274 737843 to pay by debit or credit card. The publication will be posted out to you within 7 days of receiving your payment.

 Please phone our Welcome Desk on 01274 737843 or email enquiries@impressions-gallery.com for further information.

From the publisher:

This full colour publication published by Impressions Gallery is a poignant, and at times, moving body of work that translates Joy Gregory’s intense experience of place.

Translating Place features work created by Gregory during her three month residency in Sri Lanka in 2004 and also includes Narratives of Place an insightful and perceptive essay by Rohini Malik Okon that provides an overview of Gregory’s time and art projects throughout her residency.

All the photographs are published for the first time and include traditional portraits of the staff Gregory lived with during her stay. These images embrace the ‘tension’ between herself, the outsider, and the moment the gardeners, the cook and their relatives all posed for the camera, presenting a loving sense of empowerment. Native flora and fauna have also been reproduced as delicate, two dimensional objects: while dark and atmospheric photographs of rooms act as a metaphor for Gregory’s state of mind.

Edited by Anne McNeill.

The book includes some of the photographs currently being shown in the exhibition Lost Languages and other voices which runs at the gallery until 19 February 2011.

From the publisher:

We live in the golden age of the photography book. Since the early 1990s, the number of photography book publishers has continued to grow while technological developments have placed more tools for bookmaking directly in the hands of photographers. For the students and working artists who have chosen photography as their primary means of expression, having their own photography book is seen as a passport to the international photography scene. Yet, few have more than a tentative grasp of the component parts of a book, an understanding of what they want to express, or the know-how needed to get a book published. Publish Your Photography Book is the first book to demystify the process of producing and publishing a book of photographs. Industry insiders Darius D. Himes and Mary Virginia Swanson survey the current landscape of photography book publishing and point out the many avenues to pursue and pitfalls to avoid. This expert guide is organized in six sections covering the rich history of the photo book; an overview of the publishing industry; an intimate look at the process of making a book; a close review of how to market a photo book; a section on case studies, built around discussions and interviews with published photographers; and a final section presenting a wealth of resources and information to aid in the understanding of the publishing world. Publish Your Photography Book also includes a number of additional interviews and contributions from industry professionals, including artists, publishers, designers, packagers, editors, and other industry experts who openly share their publishing experiences.

Darius Himes was a founding editor of photo-eye Booklist and is a cofounder of Radius Books, a nonprofit company publishing books on the visual arts. Himes is also a lecturer, consultant, and writer who has contributed to numerous publications.

Mary Virginia Swanson is a consultant in the area of licensing and marketing fine-art photography. Swanson frequently lectures and conducts workshops and educational programs for photographers and students. A respected judge of competitions and awards as well as portfolio reviewer, she is widely recognized for her blog Marketing Photos, a valued resource for photographers.

Publish Your Photography Book from Princeton Architectural Press on Vimeo.

COPYRIGHT: POGUS CAESAR / OOM GALLERY ARCHIVE

Muzik Kinda Sweet. Pogus Caesar, Great Britain: Punch, OOM Gallery Archive, 2010, £30.

Where to purchase below, plus a link to an article:

http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/online_shop/made_in_birmingham/item/muzik_kinda_sweet/

http://punch-records.co.uk/shop/muzik-kinda-sweet-pogus-ceasar-signed-copy/ (their publishing partner)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Muzik-Kinda-Sweet-Pogus-Caesar/dp/0956674100

Article: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/pogus-caesars-muzika-kinda-sweet-2080071.html (be still my heart—they reproduce a photo of Grace Jones with this article.)