28th March - 31st August 2020
In 2020 Bosham Gallery held an xhibition of 52 Hidden Works that trace the career of Britain’s most collected landscape photographer from 1970 to the present day. Showcasing arguably some of his most artistic works and a passion for black and white silver gelatin printing, these images, until today, have never been shared.
Today, Waite is celebrated worldwide as a colour photographer, but few will know of his love affair with black and white photography. Collectors & photographers will be equally delighted to meet the Cuban cyclist of Cienfuegos Study 1, Cuba in black and white, which Waite has personally chosen to publish as the lead image for this exhibition. Hidden Works from this prolific artist capture Japan, Italy, Belgium, England, Cuba, Scotland, Mali, France, USA, Australia, Morocco, Namibia, Egypt, Germany, Libya and Spain. Cienfuegos.
“It is hard to believe when you look through Waite’s archive of nearly 30,000 transparencies that such gems have never been published. I think by the 1990s art photographers conceded to the literal demands of the book publishing industry, and arguably some of their most artistic works remained unpublished. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, the reason for Waite’s success is clear. He has always stayed faithful to beauty as a concept and had a tireless commitment to photography as an art medium - when beauty went out of fashion in mainstream art circles Waite refused to join the bandwagon of modern conceptual art photography, often propped up with intellectual scaffolding. As we enter a new era and the art world grapples with how to reclaim beauty as a concept, Waite’s work takes on much more significance. In these environmentally uncertain times he reminds us to cherish the precious and ephemeral beauty of our world while we still can.” LUKE WHITAKER, Director Bosham Gallery.
“Until the announcement of my Hidden Works exhibition I have deeply missed the almost mystical experience of black and white hand printing in my darkroom. Now however I have immersed myself once again, and it is very special because the whole process of interpreting the negative has always been truly sacred to me. With much sentiment I have revisited works I created 40 years ago and joyfully looked back at the decades which were spent making silver gelatin prints in the darkroom. It is truly like coming home.” CHARLIE WAITE.
Exhibition Dates | 28 March – 31 August 2020 | Mon-Sat 10-4pm
