An American Lotus in Flower
What Susan Said
Tittifir Blinder
A Lotus Flower in black and white
Kings and Regents
An Authentic Occurence of Circumstances
It was a Bright Cold Day in April, and the Clocks were Striking Thirteen
A Wedding Picture of Sorts
Portsdown Green
A Christmas Themed Romantic Comedy
The Shape of Wind Through Leaves and the Squeaky Toy
The Velocity of Falling Blossoms
About Grant
Artist Statement
I live in a city. City living for me, means the third floor of a 1904 Berlin apartment block.
The shared green spaces where I make my work are the parks and gardens of Berlin.
My photography is precious to me. I work at it. Some of the time this is easy, at other times
I have to dig deep as it can be a struggle. Through this astonishingly accessible creative
medium I have made friends and connected with other visual artists all over our world. I
previously I have worked as an illustrator, animator and background artist for film and
television cartoons. I have exhibited as a painter and a draughtsman. As a lecturer in art
history and visual literacy I am captivated by the stories that plants tell of our own mortality.
Now as a lens based artist I photograph urban floraI and I am fascinated in the link
between plants and photography. It is a simple fact, without light, neither plants or
photography would exist. Both are made of light.
My photographs are underexposed daylight pictures. Each picture is then relit with an off
camera flash unit. The result I am looking for is drama. I look for the beautiful and
theatrical in our shared urban green spaces. One picture is a complete story.
These pictures are virtually straight out of the camera. Personally, I prefer not to post
process my works. This is in no way a comment on how other artists choose to work and I
may need to do so at some point in the future. I want the whole experience from beginning
to end to be simple.
Living in a city I'm aware of the profound health benefits of our shared green spaces.
Plants are interwoven into the day to day of our lives. They are a source of food. An
integral part of the Bio Diversity of our shared environment. A source for poets and
chemists. They are part of our history of colour. Many of the plants around us are refugee
species from other parts of the world. They are mediative, symbolic. For artists they
provide subject and pigment. Like a photograph, plants rely on light for their existence. The
link between the two is for me, profound. In making these pictures I am aware that these
urban green spaces are a place of refuge for an increasing number of homeless people.
Many city green spaces are sites of urban redevelopment as our populations grow and
grow. How can societies meet the living challenges of the future?
Finally, I would like to state that I am not claiming any originality in seeing the overlooked.
We all see what I am photographing. We all share what is my subject. We all respond do it
in unique ways. What I am prepared to own, is that I would not have noticed these
amazing floral dramas in the same way if I had not stopped to make a picture of them.
This work is a result of my visual literacy. Conscious or unconsciously , a life time of
experience goes into each and every picture
Picture by Paul Salmons
Biography
Grant Simon Rogers (*1964) is a British born gallery photographer living and working in
Berlin. He has exhibited his work in the UK and Europe and is collected by Public,
Corporate and Private Collectors internationally.
Grant has over twenty years of teaching experience in Museums, Universities and at
primary source locations, for some of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world.
This love affair with learning through teaching has developed into a passionate advocacy
of discursive learning and Grant now travels all over the world talking to other educators
and museum professionals about his approaches to nontraditional learning environments.
Grant was employed as an Artist Hisitogarpher by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) as
their Informal Learning Manager, with them he became a Fellow in Holocaust Education
for Yad Vashem Jerusalem, and worked with numerous NGOs based in the Middle East.
Grant is currently a visiting lecturer for the National Gallery, Central St Martins and
Christie's Education and numerous other museums and art galleries in which he also runs
practical art sessions. Always relishing the concept that anyone can draw, he organises
drawing events for the visually illiterate under the umbrella of "When did you teach yourself
not to draw".
ƒ/11.0 @1/1000 ISO:100 Daylight & Flash (on, fired) SOOC
Support Team
teddave
This website has been built for me by fellow photographer Ted who is based in Brixton. He
is a wonderful photographer and can be found at.teddave.org.
Eva Rieken
My life partner and the reason I moved to Berlin. She has been the person who has
shouldered the day to day burdens of our life together to give me the freedom to explore
this creative passion further. I have never encountered this generosity of spirit before.
Where would we be without friends? Life long friends, with whom you can laugh at the
world, yourself. Friends who have been there for the highs and lows. Tested friendships.
Distant but loving and true. You are my true tribe.
Grant’s current CV is here
Contact
Social Media
instagram.com/grantsimonrogers
https://bsky.app/profile/gsr64.bsky.social
https://linkedin.com/in/grogers2