Bryan Adams Exposed

World-famous of course in his own right as a musician and composer, Bryan Adams has established a formidable reputation for himself over the past decade as a photographer of international repute.

His meteoric rise in the world of photography is owed above all to his rare talent for capturing a timeless elegance and subtle depths in his images that is as visually enticing as it is thought-provoking. His oeuvre to date has garnered prestigious awards and captured the imagination of gallery-goers around the world.

The works selected for this exhibition focus on his portraits of famous personalities from the worlds of entertainment, fashion and the arts. Perhaps the best known of all Adams’ photographs, they are also amongst the most captivating. Conveying the ever changing moods and trends associated with fame in our modern world, they reveal an openness between the photographer and each of his subjects – always with an ironic awareness that the photograph is a staged event and an event of self-staging. They speak to us of beauty and desire, but also of world-weariness and rebellion. The palpable sense of trust is perhaps only made possible by the fellow star and friend behind the camera. The resulting works are highly intimate and intensely enjoyable studies with plenty to say about the nature of both celebrity and humanity.

HM The Queen, Buckingham Palace, 2008 © BRYAN ADAMS

Marine Joe Townsend, London, 2011 © BRYAN ADAMS

BRYAN ADAMS. WOUNDED

The Legacy of War by Bryan Adams seeks to capture the unique spirit and resolve of British servicemen and women who have suffered life-changing injury in Iraq, Afghanistan or during training. The images show not only what has been lost but also, in them, what has remained. Despite the appalling injuries of these individuals, life goes on. The photographs set out to spark questions; How did this person survive? What does this injury mean for them and their family? What does the future hold? Was it worth it?

The soldiers and marines also tell their stories of deployment and life on the frontline, of cheating death but enduring crippling injury, of rehabilitation and a reconstructed life beyond. Their portraits are proud, they show inspiring individuals who have stood the test of war and lived to tell the tale with broken bodies but with their spirits intact and undiminished. Now they face a different test. Now life is about living differently, about adapting and overcoming and finding a mettle that most in a lifetime do not know.

The images are also a testament to the loved ones of these injured personnel. Injuries are lifechanging for families too. This depiction of lives hopes to challenge perceptions and shape a better understanding of the legacy of modern conflict.