Jon Tonks (born 1981)[1] is a British documentary photographer. He was awarded the Royal Photographic Society's Vic Odden Award in 2014 for his book Empire.[2]
Early life and education
editTonks was born in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands. He studied design then worked as a local newspaper photographer. Later he earned an MA in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography from London College of Communication.[1][3][4]
Life and work
editTonks' first book Empire (2014) is about four small far-flung territories that remain under British rule: Tristan da Cunha, Ascension Island, Saint Helena, and the Falkland Islands.[3] Beginning in 2007, Tonks spent five years working on the project and travelled around 50,000 miles; he "spent a month in each territory, and over a month at sea getting to them". Sean O'Hagan, reviewing the book in The Observer, wrote that "Tonk mixes portraiture and documentary to show how important post-colonial tradition is to the survival of these communities and how their adherence to a kind of old-fashioned Britishness can make them seem culturally as well as geographically isolated in our increasingly globalised world." An accompanying text mixes historical fact and anecdote.[5]
Publications
edit- Empire. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2014. Photographs and text. Edition of 1000 copies. ISBN 9781907893490.[6]
- Second edition. Dewi Lewis, 2014. ISBN 978-1907893490.
- The Men Who Would Be King. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2021. With Christopher Lord. ISBN 978-1-911306-43-6.[7]
Exhibitions
editSolo exhibitions
edit- Empire, Mac, Birmingham, 2014; Ffotogallery, Cardiff, 2015; Impressions Gallery, Bradford, September–December 2015[8][9]
Other exhibitions
edit- Cargo, Format International Photography Festival, Derby, 2017[10]
Awards
edit- 2014: Vic Odden Award, Royal Photographic Society, Bath, UK[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Jon Tonks - Biography". The Hyman Collection. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ a b "Vic Odden". Royal Photographic Society. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
- ^ a b Houghton, Max (2015-09-14). "Island life: the last outposts of the British Empire". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ "Information & Contact". Jon Tonks. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ O'Hagan, Sean (2013-12-29). "Empire by Jon Tonks – review". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ Padley, Gemma. "Images from the faded and forgotten last outposts of the British Empire". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ "'There was a prophecy I would come': the western men who think they are South Pacific kings". The Guardian. 2021-11-27. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ Padley, Gemma. "Photography - what's on". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ "Jon Tonks: Empire". Impressions Gallery. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ Seymour, Tom. "On show at Format – Jon Tonks' Cargo". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
External links
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