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The Messy Truth - Conversations on Photography

The Messy Truth - Conversations on Photography

By: Gem Fletcher
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Summary
 Photo Director Gem Fletcher hosts The Messy Truth, a podcast dedicated to the world of contemporary photography featuring exclusive interviews with emerging and leading artists, curators and critics. Listen in to these candid conversations that unpack photography and why it connects us all in such transformational ways. Follow Gem’s Instagram @gemfletcher for images of photographs discussed in each episode.

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©Gem Fletcher 2024 Art
Episodes
  • Between Two Worlds - On the Work of Art

    Between Two Worlds - On the Work of Art
    Sep 14 2026
    In this episode, from my second salon titled, Between Two Worlds which took place in January 2026 at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and supported by WePresent. The one day salon is an attempt to describe the feeling of existing in two image worlds, the one we think we know, and the new one emerging. We can sense that this new image world operates differently to the one we were socialised in—and yet it’s unclear exactly how. In this session, Gem Fletcher is joined by Rene Matić and Elle Pérez. Together they discuss, What is the work of art today? In an era of rising authoritarianism, the work of art is perhaps more consequential than ever.How can we use photography to preserve history? Is it possible to create lines of undeniability in an era where collective memory is clouded by constant crisis, and erasure is weaponised? How can photography speak to the ephemeral condition of living? And what role does community play in those ideas and gestures?Rene MatićRene Matić is a London-based artist and writer whose practice spans photography, film, and sculpture, converging in a meeting place they describe as "rude(ness)" - an evidencing and honouring of the in-between. Matić riffs on a documentary, diaristic style of photography, with snapshots of everyday moments and poetic juxtapositions, which are then used to create installations, grouping images to surreptitiously bring out buried tensions and paradoxes. Recent solo exhibitions include Turner Prize 2025, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, UK (2025); Idols Lovers Mothers Friends, Arcadia Missa, London, UK (2025); AS OPPOSED TO THE TRUTH, CCA Berlin, Berlin, DE (2024); Rene Matić/Oscar Murillo JAZZ, Kunsthalle Wien Museumsquartier, Vienna, AT (2024); a girl for the living room, Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol, UK (2023); upon this rock, Kunstverein Gartenhaus, Vienna, AT (2023), upon this rock, South London Gallery, London, UK (2022), among more.Elle Pérez Elle Pérez lives and works in New York City. Pérez primarily works in photography and moving image, depicting intimate moments, emotional exchanges, and visceral details within their portraits, landscapes, and films. Recent solo exhibitions include: “Devotions,” Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland (2023); “Host,” Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles (2021); “Devotions,” Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2021); “from sun to sun,” Public Art Fund, New York (2019) and “Diablo,” MoMA PS1, New York (2018). Their work has been included in group exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2023); the Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, Texas (2022); the Renaissance Society, Chicago (2020); Barbican Centre, London (2020); Brooklyn Museum, New York (2019) and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2019); among others. They are currently an Assistant Professor of photography at Yale University. They have previously held appointments as an Assistant Professor of Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University, and Dean at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. They participated in both the 2022 Venice Biennale and the 2022 New England Triennial. Their solo exhibition, “Intimacies,” is currently on view at MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts. They were also recently awarded the 2022-23 Rome Prize in the visual arts.Follow Elle, Rene & Gem on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Between Two Worlds - On the Future of PhotoBooks

    Between Two Worlds - On the Future of PhotoBooks
    Sep 7 2026
    In this episode, from my second salon titled, Between Two Worlds which took place in January 2026 at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and supported by WePresent. The one day salon is an attempt to describe the feeling of existing in two image worlds, the one we think we know, and the new one emerging. We can sense that this new image world operates differently to the one we were socialised in—and yet it’s unclear exactly how. In this session, Gem Fletcher is joined by Bruno Ceschel, Brian Paul Lamotte and Lillian Wilkie. Together they discuss, What’s next for PhotoBook publishing? PhotoBook publishing has grown exponentially over the last decade, contributing to the evolving narrative of photography. At this moment of seeming abundance, it feels important to consider the economic, environmental, political and cultural realities moving forward for publishers and artists. What values are shaping the wider culture of PhotoBook publishing? How is the current market evolving? Is it possible to create new forms of the medium that adequately express the strange, unmapable shape of our present?Bruno CeschelBruno Ceschel is the founder and director of Self Publish, Be Happy (SPBH), an organization dedicated to visual culture, education, and community. Since 2010, SPBH has organized events at institutions such as Tate Modern, MoMA PS1, and Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Its collection of over 3,000 artists’ books is housed at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. As Publishing Director at SPBH Editions, Ceschel has published works by authors including Vince Aletti, Carmen Winant, Charlie Engman, and Mari Katayama. He is a visiting lecturer at École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) and Cornell University.Brian Paul LamotteBrian Paul Lamotte is an independent graphic designer and educator based between Milan and Zürich, specializing in art and photography publishing. Trained in graphic design at Central Saint Martins, his practice is grounded in close collaboration with artists, editors, and printers and is characterized by a research-driven approach to image-led solutions, minimal typography, and material sensitivity in the production of the book form. He has designed and produced books and various printed projects for select publishers and cultural institutions, including Aperture Foundation, Dashwood Books, Edition Patrick Frey, Fondation Louis Vuitton, MACK, MAST Foundation, MoMA, Rizzoli and SPBH Editions, where he is currently the art director. Lillian WilkieLillian Wilkie is a writer, editor and publisher based in London and East Sussex. Her practice and research focus on artist publishing and its communities, photography and its contexts, and marginal fashion media. She is the Director of Chateau International, an independent imprint producing books, zines, editions and programming. Whilst prioritising female and non-binary artists and writers, Chateau International works with a range of international collaborators who share its interests in the counterculture, fashion, feminism, radical politics, community organising and practices of photography. Lillian is co-Director of Bound Art Book Fair at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, a key annual event that builds and sustains communities around print publishing practices whilst exploring the potential for expanded forms of publishing that engage or interact with performance, music, sculpture, fashion, moving image and activism. In 2024, she co-organised INVENTORY, a major publishing programme at Cromwell Place, London. Follow Brian, Bruno, Lillian & Gem on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Between Two Worlds - On Photography And...

    Between Two Worlds - On Photography And...
    Aug 31 2026
    In this episode, from my second salon titled, Between Two Worlds which took place in January 2026 at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and supported by WePresent. The one day salon is an attempt to describe the feeling of existing in two image worlds, the one we think we know, and the new one emerging. We can sense that this new image world operates differently to the one we were socialised in—and yet it’s unclear exactly how. In this session, On Photography And, Gem Fletcher is joined by Jack Davison, Ronan Mckenzie, and Hanna Moon, three artists who have taken risks in an attempt to create new models of publishing, exhibiting and making. Together they discuss the following questions: What is the state of the photography industry? And how might we retool it for the future? As artists, we have inherited this sprawling, decreasingly functional cultural apparatus known as the photo world. So, what can we do about it? How might we possibly retool or scavenge from its remains to rebuild it anew? Can we imagine new models of making and distribution that address systemic issues? Is it possible to create a more expansive practice with less compromise? And how can we cultivate new community standards that support many, rather than a few? British photographer Jack Davison effortlessly embraces digital, analogue, black and white and colour photography. His works depict the human figure, architecture, animals, objects, landscapes and townscapes; yet his subject is always photography itself. Davison's playful and curious approach is shaped by the equally formative space of online platforms like Flickr and Tumblr, where he first developed his craft as a young man taking pictures in the Essex countryside. Davison had his debut UK solo exhibition at Cob Gallery and a further solo exhibition at Foam Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam. His portrait photography is included in the permanent collection of The National Portrait Gallery, London. He is the founder of the imprint Helions.Ronan Mckenzie is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes photography, curation, and design. Alongside creative still and moving image works for a number of titles and brands including Vogue, Luncheon, Wall Street Journal, Clinique, Glossier and Nike, Ronan continues to work on special projects including designing a chess board for W Budapest, interviewing Carrie Mae Weems for The Barbican, creative direction for musician anaiis, writing for Apartamento and leading educational programmes for Gucci Changemakers. Curatorially, her collaborators include The V&A, The RA, Carl Freedman Gallery, London Design Festival and Somerset House. In addition to working on numerous projects for others, Ronan founded her own gallery and community space HOME (2020-2023), as well as her label SELASI (2020-present). Hanna Moon is an artist, photographer and creative interlocutor, born in South Korea, and based in London. Her first critically-acclaimed contribution to fashion culture was her launch of A Nice Magazine, created by Moon for her graduation from Central St Martins, London, in 2014. Intentionally working with ideas and subjects outside of the conventions of fashion photography, Moon has defined herself as an important new voice in the field. Moon breathes new life into fashion with her personal narratives and truths, and her acute sense of how to create the visuals of our time. Follow Hanna, Ronan, Jack & Gem on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 18 mins
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