Robert Darch

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Robert Darch
Robert Darch, Artist-photographer.jpg
Robert Darch
Born1979 (age 41–42)
Birmingham, England
NationalityEnglish
Alma materUniversity of Wales, Newport Plymouth University

Robert Darch (born 1979) is a British artist-photographer.[1] His first book, The Moor, was published in 2018.

Life and work[]

Darch was born in Birmingham and grew up in Droitwich Spa.[2] He studied Documentary Photography at University of Wales, Newport, graduating in 2004. He returned to study photography at Plymouth University in 2013 after a long period of illness, gaining a Masters in Photography & The Book and an MFA in Photographic Arts.[3]

Darch resides in Devon, England, where he located the fictional town of Durlescombe, the setting for an on-going series exploring his familial attachment to this specific region of England.[4]

Darch's documentary-style images, both archival and contemporary, of the fictional town of Durlescombe harken back to some of the long-standing questions about the veracity of photography. Ranging from portraits to the smallest details of rural life, the series works together to paint a convincing picture of this non-existent village. But beyond this conceptual framework, his photographs are also powerful atmospheric constructions. There's a great tension between stillness and motion in many of his images, used successfully along with bold composition strategies. — Cliff Lauson, Hayward Gallery, 2016[5]

The Moor (2018), depicts a fictionalised dystopian future situated on the bleak moorland landscapes of Dartmoor, Devon.[6][7][8]

Vale (2020), reflects on a long period of ill health Robert Darch suffered in his twenties and the isolation and loneliness he experienced because of that. Whilst he was ill Robert would get lost in daydream and fiction, creating imaginary worlds to temper the isolation and sadness. Vale reflects on this lost time and imagines a fictional summer spent swimming in rivers and exploring woods, underscored by a sustained sense of eeriness.

"In the liminal space between fiction, narrative and reality, the intentions and outcomes of Vale have become intractably intertwined. However, we must respect the fictional boundaries of this place as if they were reality, even as this world itself begins to fall apart. Indeed, we might conclude that in our current situation within 2020, a sense of a loss of time is what might be driving our own search for the promise of truth that nostalgia seems to offer. But even as we are in pursuit of that promise, we may need to discard the veracity apparently offered by photography, recognising and ultimately embracing Vale as the manifestation of a lost time, with all the weight that such a loss implies." Dan Cox, Curator, V&A, 2020 [9]

Publications[]

Publications by Darch[]

  • The Moor. Another Place, 2018. ISBN 9781999607746. Edition of 500 copies.
  • Vale. LIDO, 2020. ISBN 9781838219505. Edition of 750 copies.

Publications with contributions by Darch[]

  • Portrait of Britain Vol 1. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2018. ISBN 9781910566381.
  • Portrait of Britain Vol 2. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2019. ISBN 9781910566541.
  • Portrait of Britain Vol 3. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2020. ISBN 9781910566770.

Awards[]

Selected group exhibitions[]

References[]

  1. ^ Elicia Epstein. "The Work of Robert Darch". Juxtapoz. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  2. ^ Steve Bisson. "Robert Darch. Connection With a Place". Uranautica. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  3. ^ Alan Williams. "Photographer's named amongst UK's best emerging talent". Plymouth University. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  4. ^ Ruby Boddington. "Robert Darch explores identity and nostalgia through the fictitious town of Durlescombe". Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  5. ^ Cliff Lauson. "Source Photographic Review Graduate Photography Online 2016". Source. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  6. ^ Charlotte Jansen. "A Dystopian vision of Dartmoor unfolds in Robert Darch's haunting photographs". Wallpaper Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  7. ^ Ruby Boddington. "Robert Darch's series The Moor argues that we are already living in a Dystopia". Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  8. ^ Foto Room. "Robert Darch constructs a fictional series set in the English Moors". Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  9. ^ The Guardian. "Paradise Lost: nature photos that mourn a lost youth - in pictures". Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  10. ^ "Another shot: highlights from Portrait Salon 2016 – in pictures". The Guardian. 21 November 2016. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-06-17 – via www.theguardian.com.
  11. ^ "Renaissance photography prize 2017 – in pictures". The Guardian. 12 October 2017. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-06-17 – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. ^ "Facing Britain, British documentary photography since the 1960s". Institut für Kunstdokumentation und Szenografie. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  13. ^ "Distinctly". Art Rabbit. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  14. ^ "Documentary photography stars in the Distinctly show". British Journal of Photography. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 2019-06-17.

External links[]

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