RPS Awards Talks... Henri Kisielewski

In this on-going series of 'in conversations' hear from leading individuals talk about how they use photography as artists, scientists, educators, publishers and curators. All our speakers are recent RPS Award recipients who have been recognised for their contribution to the medium. 

All talks and links to recordings (where available) in the series can be seen here: https://rps.org/awardstalks

Marta Rosa, a Portuguese Fado singer, songwriter and composer, will begin the evening by singing from Portugal's best known musical form - Fado.  Marta will be accompanied by Mara Dulce.  Marta's debut EP "Entretanto" was released in 2020 by Universal Music Portugal.

Henri Kisielewski is a self-taught French/British documentary photographer. His main interests lie in identity, memory and shared histories. 

His work explores wide-ranging themes, from the struggles faced by Iceland’s transgender community to an ongoing examination of ‘the exotic’ that seeks to engage critically with photography’s colonial legacy. 

Henri's long-term project Every Life is in Many Days involves gaining access to grand disused buildings across London and tracking down those who once occupied them, years - sometimes decades - later. Combining personal archival materials with newly created images, the project probes photography’s role in mediating memory.

Henri will be in conversation with Brett Walsh, an artist and writer living in London. He is contributing editor to Ossian magazine and currently works at the British Library where he coordinates the cultural events programme

In 2019 Henri received the RPS Joan Wakelin Bursary which funded the project Postcard City, an exploration of the effects of mass tourism in Lisbon using fado (Portuguese urban folk music) as a central metaphor. This work appeared in the RPS Journal and The Guardian in the summer of 2020, alongside Henri’s accompanying essay.

Henri's talk will be followed by a public Q+A. Questions will be taken by Zoom chat or can be emailed in advance. Your Zoom link will be sent in PDF with your booking confirmation. 

All talks and links to recordings (where available) in the series can be seen here: https://rps.org/awardstalks

Image:

© Henri Kisielewski. Saudade, (2019).  Fado singer Marta Rosa looks out at Mouraria from the ballroom of a disused palace-cum-community centre. Mouraria, a neighbourhood historically linked to fado, has been undergoing aggressive touristification in recent years.