John Bolloten: Pictures from the Edge
John Bolloten is a documentary photographer based in Bradford, UK. His work focuses primarily on people and subcultures that exist on the margins of society, and he is known for his edgy photographs of Bradford street life.
John’s work deals with a range of situations, but he is probably best known for his work with heroin and crack users. His book “Nothing To See Here” (2017) opened a window into Bradford’s gritty underbelly of drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness and vice and “Love Story” (2019) provides an intimate insight into the lives of Gary and Maree, a drug-using couple.
Working with vulnerable people with drug dependence, homelessness and mental health issues is controversial in the photography world, but John approaches all of his work with an honest, compassionate, empathetic and non-judgemental attitude. As he says, if people who see his work end up having a more empathetic feeling towards less fortunate in society then he will be satisfied.
John is currently working on a number of long-term projects, including bare knuckle pit fighting and the northern grime and drill music scene.
Please note that John’s style and subject matter mean that you can expect images that are uncompromising and which some people may find challenging.
“I like Bradford a lot and the city has many positives, especially its down-to-earth people and lack of pretension… As a photographer I never get bored photographing here, but I’m not interested in presenting sanitised images of Bradford.” Bradford Review, 2016
For more of John’s work, please see his website and Instagram pages.
Visitors are welcome (£5). Please get in touch with Julia, our Secretary, if you would like more information or to book a place.
***This is our first physical meeting since the onset of COVID and we are very grateful to York Theatre Royal for making it possible to meet in the Studio Theatre. There will not be a Zoom option, and we hope that many of you will be able to join us. There are a number of car parks nearby (Bootham Row; Marygate; Monk Bar) and the Theatre is close to several bus routes and to York Station.***
