James Bell is one of the artists participating in ‘FreshFaced + WildEyed 2015’, a group show in The Photographers’ Gallery in London.
16 Jun 2015 – 05 Jul 2015
From Beach Boys project.
Statement:
As a photographer of Afro-Caribbean heritage I am interested in recording the diversity of cultural expression and social issues from within this community. Beach-boys is a photographic project on the bar owners, street vendors, and hustlers of Barbados. Tourism is a major income provider to the islands economy and an opportunity for local Barbadians to establish small-scale businesses, selling trinkets, street food, and also their own company.
I wanted to depict the diverse characters, ages and fortunes of the men whose income was dependent on an informal trade between themselves and the tourists. Relationships were developed with many of the subjects featured in the series. In some instances subjects were paid 15 – 20 B$D (the price of a meal) as compensation for being photographed. A consistent photographic approach was adopted in photographing subjects from the late afternoon onwards, often under cloud cover in-order to reduce harsh shadows. My visual intentions were to attempt to depict the subject’s showmanship, confidence and vulnerabilities.