Canary Wharf celebrates 50 years of the Association of Photographers (AOP) by hosting an exclusive exhibition, AOP50, a major retrospective comprising iconic images by some of the world’s most well-known and respected photographers from the past 50 years.
Formed in 1968 by a group of leading advertising and fashion photographers, AOP is today one of the most prestigious professional photographers’ associations in the world. With its aims still remaining the same today as they were 50 years ago, AOP is renowned for promoting photographers’ rights and copyright protection as well as promoting its members’ work.
In recognition of this important milestone, the exhibition, curated by leading photography expert Zelda Cheatle, will present a collection of images that define 50 years of the AOP. Photographs have been selected to illustrate the impact, diversity and quality of work by AOP members since 1968, including Nadav Kander, Duffy, Tim Flach, Tessa Traeger and John Claridge. Their work will have been seen by people the world over, from stunning images of celebrities and stars in major advertising campaigns, to photographs documenting some of the world’s turning points, including wars, famine and humanitarian disasters. Many of the images have defined a generation, and helped to shape public opinion and to create change
Tasked with selecting images for the AOP50 exhibition at Canary Wharf from thousands of examples of work by members, both past and present, curator Zelda Cheatle says, “I was looking for a good cross section of what the Association has stood for over these many years, to represent 50 years of creativity and talent. I had to work with the space and see how photography could work within it. I began by trying to find a picture from every year but that proved to be complex and almost impossible. Some years were fertile grounds, others less so. So I decided to work more with decades, and across those decades, I loosely grouped Advertising, Editorial, Still Life, Portraiture, Fine Art and Landscape, and found representatives of those genres. I believe I have chosen great pictures, with diversity and style.”
AOP’s Executive Director Seamus McGibbon adds, “As the Association of Photographers enters its 50th anniversary year, it is fitting that we mark such an important milestone with a truly impressive exhibition on this scale, hosted in the superb One Canada Square lobby of Canary Wharf. ‘AOP50: Images that Defined the Age’ is a collection of amazing images that span the decades as well as genres of photography produced by our many members over the years. Some images you will recognize, some you may not. All have been produced by leading names in the photography world and of course they have all been AOP members. We are delighted to be working with Zelda Cheatle, Canary Wharf Group and our sponsors, The Bunker who helped bring this much-anticipated exhibition together.”
The exhibition will go on show in April as part of Canary Wharf’s ongoing temporary exhibition programme. Since the inception of Canary Wharf’s cultural master plan, the arts have played an important role in the development and success of the 128-acre Estate. Canary Wharf has one of the UK’s largest collections of public art, with more than 70 permanent works by over 50 world-renowned artists and craftsmen.
Exhibiting artists include:
Adam Hinton, Alan Brooking, Amit & Naroop, Anderson And Low, Andy Green, Barry Lategan, Carol Sharp, Carolyn Mendelsohn, Clare Park, Clive Boursnell, Cornel Lucas, David Eustace, David Fairman, Donald Silverstein, Duffy, Duncan Caractacus Clark, Edgar Martins, Elizabeth Zeschin, Graham Ford, Harry Cory Wright, Jillian Edelstein, John Claridge, Jonathan Olley, Joseph Ford, Ken Griffiths, Laura Pannack, Lorenzo Vitturi, Marcus Doyle, Marcus Lyon, Martin Usbourne, Max Forsyth, Mike Sheil, Nadav Kander, Paul Wakefield, Paul Wenham Clarke, Peter Lavery, Rolph Gobits, Rory Carnegie, Sandra Lousada, Simon Norfolk, Simon Page Ritchie, Siobhan Doran, Spencer Rowell, Terence Donovan, Tessa Bunney, Tessa Traeger, Tim Flach, Tim Hetherington, Tom Murray, Tom Stoddart, Vikram Kushwah and Zed Nelson.
For information about the exhibition, please visit: www.canarywharf.com
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For further information, please contact:
Press Office
Canary Wharf Group plc
T: 020 7418 2166
E: pressoffice@canarywharf.com
Notes to Editors:
EVENT DETAILS:
Monday 16 April – Friday 1 June
Lobby, One Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5AB
FREE
About the Curator
Zelda Cheatle is a renowned photography expert, curator, editor, lecturer and photography consultant. Since beginning her photography-career at The Photographers Gallery, London in 1982, Cheatle went on to open her own gallery that specialised in photography for over fifteen years, and now is widely regarded as one of the leading photography experts in Europe. Zelda has also helped create the John Kobal Foundation (now Taylor Wessing at the National Portrait Gallery), and established the Tosco Photography Fund as portfolio Manager. Zelda is a consultant on multiple projects including the National Maritime Museum, is on the board of the Koestler trust and their Arts Committee, and is an active member of the Academy for World Photography Organisation. She also lectures at several colleges, including the Universities of Kingston, Westminster and Ulster, the Fine Art Society, Art Market Academy, Middlesex and Central St Martins. Zelda is available for interviews.
About Association of Photographers (AOP)
The Association of Photographers was first formed in 1968 as the Association of Fashion and Advertising Photographers and is one of the most prestigious professional photographers’ associations in the world.
The Association’s aims remain the same today as they were almost 50 years ago: to promote and protect the worth and standing of its members, to vigorously defend, educate and lobby for the interests and rights of all photographers, especially in the commercial photographic industry.
Membership is open to Professional and Assisting Photographers working in the creative sector, Agents, any individuals working in the photographic industry, those starting out in the profession, those in education and anyone with an interest in professional photography.
Our members’ work is published worldwide in magazines, newspapers, books and advertising campaigns. Many members produce work as fine art, sold and collected through traditional galleries and online.
The Association brings professional photographers together and provides a sense of community that is simply unavailable anywhere else. We promote the highest levels of achievement and we lobby for our members’ interests at all levels.
www.the-aop.org
Instagram: @assocphoto
Twitter: @assocphoto
Facebook: facebook.com/AssociationOfPhotographers
About Canary Wharf Group
Canary Wharf Group plc has overseen the largest urban regeneration project ever undertaken in Europe, designing and building more than 16.5million sq ft of London real estate, which now houses local and international companies and renowned retailers.
The Canary Wharf Estate is a major retail destination comprising around 1m sq ft across five shopping malls, including the award-winning leisure development, Crossrail Place, housing one of London’s most stunning roof gardens. It also has world-class, year-round arts and events programme offering over 200 diverse and culturally inspiring events performed throughout the Estate.
Canary Wharf Group is a wholly owned joint venture between Brookfield Property Partners and the Qatar Investment Authority.
www.canarywharf.com
Instagram: @canarywharflondon
Twitter: @YourCanaryWharf
Twitter: @CanaryWharfGrp
Twitter: @Level39CW