Luke Stephenson

Biography

Vaudevillian, remarkable and absurd, Luke Stephenson's photography is borne of fascination, curiosity and skittish compulsion to reveal the eccentric side of British culture. Seeking out pockets of mild peculiarity, he brings a genuine enthusiasm to his subjects and, rather than attacking norms and preconceptions, allows genteel humour to rise to the fore. Often deadpan in his execution, Luke observes the British fondness for folklore and pastimes whilst exploring his role as artist, comedian and entertainer by documenting the theatre and spectacle of life.

Born in Darlington in the north of England, Luke studied photography at the Blackpool and Fylde College. He has since won the Jerwood Photography Award and was one of 10 photographers selected for the prestigious Festival International de Mode et de Photographie in Hyeres with his series Spectacle Wearing Folk. His work has been published in numerous magazines, including Portfolio, Dazed & Confused, The New York Times Magazine, Wallpaper*, Kilimanjaro and Foam.

For more information, visit Luke Stephenson's website here

Artist Statement

Stephenson finds birds and the world surrounding them wonderfully fascinating. The birds he has photographed all belong to avid bird breeders who on the whole have been keeping birds their whole lives. It's a hobby people generally don't come into contact with, unless you are active within it. The artist does not keep birds but finds them beautiful in all their variations and colours, so has set out capture these birds in a way that would show them at their best.

There are many criteria to breeding a prize-winning bird, from shape and form to its pattern, and this is something Stephenson has tried to convey whilst also attempting to show some of their personalities. He set out to photograph every breed of bird within the 'hobby' of keeping birds but soon realised there were thousands of variations, so decided to keep this as an ongoing project; realising installments every couple of years which people can collect and, hopefully one day, the dictionary will be complete.