Pogus Caesar, Dinner Ladies, Birmingham, UK (1984). Series Schwarz Flaneur, started in 1983. Black-and-white photograph, 35mm. 34 x 44 cm. Courtesy of the artist and OOM Gallery Archive. DACS/Artimage

REFLECTION IN A LIGHT-SENSITIVE WORLD

Pogus Caesar

As a photographer, one never knows what one may encounter. Should one document the moment or cast it aside to become a distant memory? Visiting 1980s New York, I purchased a book by the late Diane Arbus. The conclusion I drew was that I should allow my visual intuition to navigate life and not seek perfection but follow just my instincts. This approach worked marvellously when the purchase of a Canon AP brought newfound freedom. 35mm film was wondrous: 36 frames set at 400 ASA produced photographs anywhere between clear and pin-sharp, to rough, grainy and washed-out. This immaculately suited my artistic temperament – to capture moments without worrying about how the end product will turn out – and it still does.

Pogus Caesar, The Lovers, Lake Como, Italy (2002), Series Schwarz Flaneur, started in 1983. Black-and-white photograph, 35mm. 34 x 44 cm. Courtesy of the artist and OOM Gallery Archive. DACS/Artimage

I think the benefits of this mindset can be seen in the photographs from my series ‘Schwarz Flaneur’ – exhibited in Ikon Gallery’s ‘Friends in Love and War’ – which, to an extent, were documented long before the series gained a title to unite them all. I have often referenced my father's extensive book collection, which included copies of National Geographic and Reader's Digest. As a child, I thought they contained the most beautiful and engaging photographs I had ever seen. They conveyed an interest in the notion of how someone experiences a city. Am I an alien? An inquisitive visitor stumbling through unknown lands? To me, this sentiment conveys how a photographer must confront new environments, reframe the mind and adjust to setbacks. One day your heart will skip a beat, believing the perfect image is laid before your eyes. You’ll confidently line up the shot, click the button…then reality bites: the camera is out of film!

Friends in Love and War — L’Éloge des meilleur·es ennemi·es is presented at Ikon Gallery in collaboration with macLYON, 2 October 2024 – 23 February 2025. ikon-gallery.org

Pogus Caesar, Protien, West Bromwich, UK (1990). Series Schwarz Flaneur, started in 1983. Black-and-white photograph, 35mm. 34 x 44 cm Courtesy of the artist and OOM Gallery Archive. DACS/Artimage

Pogus Caesar, Silver & Skin, Birmingham, UK (2001). Series Schwarz Flaneur, started in 1983. Black-and-white photograph, 35mm. 34 x 44 cm. Courtesy of the artist and OOM Gallery Archive. DACS/Artimage.

This article first appeared in PRISMA Issue 18