Vanishing Point
Michael Ormerod
26th September - 9th October
Michael Ormerod (1947-1991) was a British photographer with a distinctive and powerful voice, whose career was tragically cut short on August 7th 1991 in a road accident on his last field trip to the USA. He is known for his striking and evocative images capturing American landscapes and urban scenes. His work often depicted the raw, gritty reality of life in America, showcasing both its beauty and its challenges. Ormerod’s photography gained recognition for its powerful storytelling and unique perspective on the American experience. His legacy continues to influence contemporary photographers, and his work remains highly regarded in the photography community. Despite this, over the last 33 years, only one major exhibition of his work has taken place in 2003.
Since his untimely death in 1991, Ormerod’s body of work has been held at the Millennium Picture Library in London. At a family event in 2012, celebrating his life and photographic work, his daughter Ali had a wonderful conversation with one of Ormerods’s closest friends and fellow photographer Geoff Weston. This conversation led to a shared intention: to go back to the archive and revisit his photographic legacy. We have since discovered a trove of previously unseen negatives from Ormerod’s trips to America. Working closely with the help of Alan Thoburn, over the course of a decade we have cherished the opportunity to consider these previously unseen images and curate a new collection deserving of public display.
” It seems that everything my father did was intended to raise questions rather than insist on answers. Perhaps that is why the obsession with horizons, vanishing points and ends of the road are common themes throughout his work. We can not now know what my father would want us to make of these images, but I am certain that he would smile to know that they have managed to surface. ”
Ali Ormerod
We are thrilled to announce the upcoming release of Michael Ormerod's second Photobook, published by the renowned RRB Photobooks this Autumn. The discovery of new work was incredibly exciting on a personal level, and we are simply delighted that RRB Photobooks agrees that this work materially augments and expands the story.
Ormerod’s first exhibition took place at the Zelda Cheatle Gallery in London to coincide with the release of his book “States of America,” shortly after his passing. A second exhibition followed in 2003 at Sheffield Graves Art Gallery. In 2010, Crane Kalman Gallery in Brighton provided the public with another opportunity to view my father’s work in person, and the event’s success underscored the lasting impact his images have on the viewer’s imagination.
With the imminent release of his second photobook, 31 years after “States of America,” it is time to honour his photographic legacy.
Michael Ormerod: Vanishing Point Exhibition runs from the 26th September to the 9th October at 33 Great Windmill Street, Soho, London W1D 7LR
‘States of America’ Michael Ormerod published in 1993. Now scarce and coveted by collectors.
Ellie Davies, Seascape 7, 2020
90 cm x 120 cm, Edition 1/7
Prices starting at £1,200 exc VAT
Also available as:
90 cm x 120 cm, Edition 1/7
Prices starting at £1,200 exc VAT
Ellie Davies, Seascape 8, 2020
90 cm x 120 cm, Edition 1/7
Prices starting at £1,200 exc VAT
Also available as:
68 cm x 90 cm, Edition 1/7
Prices starting at £900 exc VAT
Ellie Davies, Seascape 9, 2020
90 cm x 120 cm, Edition 1/7
Prices starting at £1,200 exc VAT
Also available as:
68 cm x 90 cm, Edition 1/7
Prices starting at £900 exc VAT