Chris Steele-Perkins


British, b. Burma 1947 Chris Steele-Perkins moved to England with his father at the age of two. He went to school at Christ's Hospital. At the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he studied psychology and worked for the student newspaper, graduating with honours in 1970 when he started working as a freelance photographer, moving to London in 1971. Apart from a trip to Bangladesh in 1973 he worked mainly in Britain in areas concerned with urban poverty and also sub-cultures. In 1975 he worked with EXIT, a collective dealing with social problems in British cities. This work culminated in the book Survival Programmes in 1982. He joined the Paris-based Viva agency in 1976. In 1979, he published his first solo book, The Teds. He also edited, and purchased the images for, The Arts Council of GB"s book, About 70 Photographs.

Steele-Perkins joined Magnum Photos in 1979 and soon began working extensively in the developing world, in particular Africa, central America and Lebanon, as well as continuing to document Britain. He published in 1991, The Pleasure Principle, a work exploring Britain in the 80's. In 1992 he published Afghanistan, the result of four trips over four years. After marrying his second wife, Miyako Yamada, he embarked on a long term photographic exploration of Japan publishing his first book of that work, Fuji, in 2000. A highly personal diary of 2001, Echoes, was published in 2003, and the second of his Japanese books, Tokyo Love Hello, was published in February 2007. In contrast a black and white study of English rural life, Northern Exposures, was published in summer 2007. A 40 year perspective on England, “England, my England,” was published at the end of 2009. In 2012 "Fading Light". a book of photographs and interviews with centenarians was published.
? ?Two sons; Cedric Steele-Perkins ,dob 16/11/90; 
Cameron Steele-Perkins, dob18/6/92??Married  to Miyako Yamada, (Japanese) 17/7/99??Member, Magnum Photos 1982?President, Magnum Photos 1997 - 99??Selected exhibitions:?1990 'The Pleasure Principle', FNAC, Paris?1992 'Africa, work in progress', Perpignan, France?1993 'Cross-section', Hong Kong Festival?1999 Grp. 'Robert Capa Gold Medal Winners Exhibition',Touring Japan?1999 'Nomansland' Photo Gallery International, Tokyo?1999 'Afghanistan', Perpignan Festival, France?2000 'Afghanistan', Ffotogallery, Cardiff?2000 'Afghanistan', Side Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne?2002 'Mt. Fuji', MAC (Midlands Arts Centre), Birmingham (further venues at ?Gainsborough's House; Impressions Gallery,York; 2003 Darlington Arts Centre; ?Pierce Hall Art Gallery, Halifax; National Theatre, London)?2002 Mt Fuji, Grandship, Shizuoka, Japan?2003 Jan, The Teds, 292 Gallery, New York?2004 Jan, The Teds, Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago?2005 Jan,  "North,South, East, West" (group),Science Museum,  London?2005 Jan, Coast Exposed (group) National Maritme Museum, "London?2005 Aug, Echoes, Leica gallery, Tokyo?2005 Sept, Eurovisions, (group) Beaubourg, Paris?2007 July, Northern Exposures, Northumbria University Gallery.
2007 Grp. Tokyo, Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo.
2007 Haswell Plough to Harajuku, Host, London
2008 -2010, Disposable People - Contemporary Slavery, (group) Royal Festival Hall, London, and UK tour.
2010 May, (group). Facts of Life. Photography in Britain 1974–1997 Krakow Foto Month
2010 England, My England, Northumbria Gallery and Kings Place London, and Aberystwyth Art Centre
2010 For Love of the Game, Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff
2011 Freedom from Modern Slavery, Museum of London.
2011 Street Photography (group) Derby Photography Festival.
2013 Fuji Documentary. Hiroshige Museum, Shizuoka, Japan.
?Collections:?Arts Council of Great Britain
British Council?Victoria & Albert Museum, London?Side Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne?Corcoran Gallery, Washington?National Gallery of Victoria, Australia?Bibiotheque National, Paris?FNAC, Paris?Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
National Portrait Gallery, London.
National Museum of Film, Photography and Television, Bradford.?Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
Beaubourg, Paris
Open Eye, Liverpool.
Museum of London.
The Tate - Britain
Centre National de la Photographie

?Awards:?1988 'Oskar Barnak Award', World Press, Holland?'Tom Hopkinson Award', Photographers' Gallery, London?1989 'Robert Capa Gold Medal', ICP, New York?1990 'Gahan Lectureship', Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts ?(unable to accept)?1994 'Cooperative Society Award' & 'One World Award', for the film Dying for ?Publicity?1994 'La Nacion Premier Photojournalism Award'?1999 Sasakawa Foundation grant?2000 Visiting Professor, Musashino Art University, Tokyo?2000 World Press Award, 'Daily Life'?2004 and 2011 Sasakawa Foundation  grant
2008 Royal Photographic Society Terrence Donovan Award
2010 Arts Council GB award.??
2014 Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.



Partial Bibliography:?1979 The Teds, Traveling Light?1980
About 70 Photographs, (editor), Arts Council of GB
?La Grèce au Présent, (group)1981?1982
Survival Programmes: In Britain's Inner Cities (with Nicholas Battye and ?Paul Trevor), Open University Press?1982
Beirut: Front-line Story, Pluto Press?1989
The Pleasure Principle, Cornerhouse, ?
1992 St. Thomas Hospital, Hospital Trust?
Afghanistan, Marvel, May 2000/ Westzone 2001/Shobunsha Japan 2001?
Fuji, Umbrage, 2002
?The Teds, (reprint) Dewi Lewis 2003?
Echoes, Trolley, 2004?
Tokyo Love Hello, Editions Intervalles, 2007
Northern Exposures, Northumbria Press, 2007
Disposable People (group) Hayward Publishing 2009
England, My England, Northumbria Press, 2009
I Have Found a Song, (group) Enitharmon Editions 2010
Magnum Contacts, (group) Thames and Hudson 2011
Fading Light (Portraits of English Centenarians.) McNidder & Grace 2012
A Place in the Country (A year in the life of Holkham country estate) Dewi Lewis 2014

 

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