Shooting Performance: Edward Woodman and British Art of the 1980s and 1990s

“Photographer, artist, observer, diarist, collaborator, Londoner: Edward Woodman occupies a unique place in the history of British photography and contemporary art. For more than fifty years, Edward Woodman has been taking photographs which together make up an unique archive of images which maps the changing face of London and its art world. Intimately intertwined with both, his lens has been an attentive witness to the transformation of London, the city where he was born and where he has lived throughout his life; and a diligent observer of the shifts in the ways in which British artists have made and presented their work. With his acute sensitivity to contemporary artists and their work, Woodman became an intimate collaborator and friend to at least two generations of British artists.  

A key protagonist in the history of British contemporary art of the 1980s and 1990s, Woodman has worked with many of the most significant artists to have emerged in the past four decades and has produced an extraordinary body of work which maps the emergence of a generation of British artists who brought about a sea change in the understanding of what art can be and who were to achieve widespread international recognition and acclaim. Having worked initially as a commercial photographer, Woodman brought a commercial eye to the documentation of contemporary art which resulted in a groundbreaking vision recognised and highly valued by all the artists with whom he worked. In parallel with documenting the work of contemporary artists, Woodman has mapped the transformation of London itself, acting as a diarist of the city and charting its architectural, social and cultural evolution since the late 1960s. 

The singularity of Woodman’s achievement and influence lie in the unique collaborations which he undertook with artists which went beyond documentation, creating a library of beautiful and distinctive photographs and forging important creative relationships which became intrinsic to the work. At a time when new forms of sculpture were emerging and site-specific installation and performance were becoming central to contemporary art practice, Woodman became the photographer of choice for a number of artists who recognised his unique ability to interpret their practice and ideas through his documentation of their work. Woodman’s insights into the artist’s intentions and what they were articulating through a particular artwork enabled him not only to represent the work but more importantly to interpret it, transforming the act of photography into a form of curation.”

From ‘Photographing in Time: The Art of Edward Woodman’ in Gilane Tawadros and Judy Adam (eds.), Edward Woodman: The Artist’s Eye, London: Art/Books, 2018.

Shooting Performance: Edward Woodman and British Art of the 1980s and 1990s assembles a selection of photographs of important performances and installations by artists including Phyllida Barlow, Stuart Brisley, Anya Gallaccio, David Medalla and Cornelia Parker from the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibition took place at David Roberts Art Foundation (DRAF) between September and October 2017.