John Peter Askew: Contributing Photographer
“My first camera was a 21st birthday present from my father. Sometimes presents can be things that you don’t really like or want but I remember treasuring this. I remember taking some photos of the steep steps in Newcastle leading down to the quayside. At home, I made a picture of a floral patterned waste bin in a flowerbed. There was also one of my mum and dad in bed on Christmas morning. It didn’t come out quite right as the light got into the back of the camera and distorted the colours. That fascinated me. My father was drinking a cup of tea while my mother read from a book by Alison Uttley. My dad was half in and half out of the light.”
Askew’s photograph’s have remained ‘local’ and ‘personal’ throughout his career. Recent solo exhibitions include Washington Arts Centre, Washington (2021); Pushkin House, London (2020); Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland (2019). He has exhibited at UK venues including the Royal Academy, London (2021); The Photographers’ Gallery, London (1999, 1996) ; Ikon, Birmingham (1997) ; the National Museum of Photography, Bradford (1998); Dilston Grove, London (2001), and at major international exhibitions including Contemporary British Photography, Rosphoto Museum, St Petersburg (2022); the Prague Biennale (2005); British Photography Today, Recontres de la Photographie d’Arles (1998). His maverick photographic work ‘We : Photographs from Russia 1996-2017’, published in two volumes, is a timely reminder of humanity, celebrating friendship communality and kindness.
1999 MA Fine Art, Goldsmiths College, London
1997 First Class BA Fine Art, University of Sunderland, UK
1983 BA Economics, Manchester University, UK
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2021 Washington Arts Centre, Washington, UK
2020 Pushkin House, London
2019 Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, UK (catalogue)
2012 Carter Presents, London
1998 Perm State Puppet Theatre, Perm, Russia (catalogue)
1998 Allenheads Contemporary Arts, Hexham, UK
1996 Perm State Puppet Theatre, Perm, Russia
1996 Queens Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, UK
1996 Watershed Gallery, Bristol, UK
1995 Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead, UK
2022 Contemporary British Photography, Rosphoto Museum, St Petersburg
2021 Summer Exhibition 2021, Royal Academy of Arts, London
2019 51ZERO, Herbert Read Gallery, curated by David Goldenberg, Cantebury UK (catalogue)
2014 Housework, Claudia Sacher & John Peter Askew, Bywell House, Northumberland UK
2014 A.I.D., Hal Projects, curated by Youngjoo Cho and Klega SaliGai, Seoul, South Korea
2011 Reality Check, curated by Sabine Hagmann, Ausstellungsraum Klingental, Basel, Switzerland
2010 Hunter, curated by Georgia Korossi and Yu-Chen Wang, Basement Art Projects, London
2010 Light Acts, Mary Hurrell & John Peter Askew, curated Yinka Shonibare, Guest Projects, London
2007 Abstraction on the Other Side of the Lens, ACCEA, Yerevan, Armenia
2005 A Second Site, International Biennale of Contemporary Art, National Gallery, Prague (catalogue)
2005 Co-operative Society, curated Dr Alistair Robinson, Northern Gallery for 2005 Contemporary Art, UK (catalogue)
2005 12.00-12.00, The Fire Station, London (catalogue)
2003 I want to be Famous for a Day, Alexandre da Cunha, Camila Sposati & John Peter Askew, Aprori, London
2003 The Flower Show, Habitat, Kings Road, London
2003 Reflecting on Success, curated by Brenda McParland, Clairmorris, Ireland (catalogue)
2003 Ambush Street, 198 Gallery, London
2002 Primeiro de Abril/ April Fools Day, curated by Tonico Lemos Auad, Vila Romana, São Paulo, Brazil
2002 Moving Still, curated by Bruno Pacheco, Dilston Grove, London
2001 Insider Trading, curated by Lisa Prior, Mandeville Hotel, London (catalogue)
2000 New Contemporaries, Milton Keynes Gallery, UK (tour, catalogue)
1999 Photospin, curated by Lisa Le Feuvre, Photographers’ Gallery, London
1999 Non Stop Opening, curated by Tiago Carneiro da Cunha, Central Point Gallery, London
1998 Shine, curated by Greg Hobson, National Museum of Photography, Bradford, UK British
1998 Photography Today, Recontres International de la Photographie, Arles, France
1998 Connected, curated Dr Ele Carpenter, Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art, Sunderland, UK (catalogue)
1997 Sense of Scale, curated by Alessandro Vincentelli, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK
1996 Claremorris Open, selected by Rui Sanches, Clairmorris, Ireland (catalogue) (First Prize)
1996 Future Vision, Photographers’ Gallery, London
2022 We II, Kerber Berlin / Hardcover / 352 pages / 157 colour plates. Edited Alistair Robinson with texts by Alistair Robinson & Lee Maelzer
2019 We, Kerber Berlin / Hardcover / 384 pages / 162 colour plates. Edited Alistair Robinson with texts by Ian Jeffrey, Fatoş Üstek, Alistair Robinson, Lee Triming, Anna Kligman
2020 British Arts Council Emergency Fund Award
2020 British Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant
2019 Silber/Commendation, Deutschen Fotobuchpreis/German Photobook Prizes
2017 British Arts Council Award
2005 British Arts Council Award
2003 Shortlisted Becks Futures, ICA, London
2002 Shortlisted Paul Hamlyn Award to Artists
2001 Acme Fire Station Residency, London (2001-2005) (publication The Fire Station Project, 2013)
2000 Northern Arts, England, Artist Award
1998 Perm State Puppet Theatre Residency, Perm, Russia
1998 Northern Arts, England, Travel and Training Award
1997 Northern Arts, England, Photography Production Award
1996 First Prize, Claremorris Open, selected by Rui Sanches, Claremorris, Ireland (cataloque)
1996 Northern Arts, England, Photography Production Award
1995 Northern Arts, England, Photography Production Award
1994 Northern Arts, England, Photography Production Award
1992 Northern Arts, England, Photography Production Award
1990 Northern Arts, England, Photography Production Award
2021 6MOIS, ‘Éclairage Le temps retrouvé’
2021 L’intimiste, Sandrine Tolotti ‘Un Certain Regard’
2021 Russian Art + Culture, ‘МЫ’
2021 Fotonostrum Magazine, ‘John Peter Askew : Photographs from Russia 1996-2017’
2020 Pushkin House Films, ‘Sacha Craddock in Conversation with John Peter Askew’
2020 Russian Art + Culture, ‘WE | Photographs from Russia 1996-2017’
2020 FAD Magazine, Paul Carey-Kent ‘Running Around the Park with Richard Schur, John Peter Askew & Emma Cousin’
2019 The Guardian, ‘On the edge : life in Europes most easternmost city – in pictures’
2019 NTV, Russian National TV Report by Elizaveta Gerson, ‘МЫ: Джон Питер Аскью’
2019 Source Magazine, Eve Forrest ‘WE John Peter Askew’
2019 Calvert Journal, Diane Symth ‘How one Russian family showed a British artist the links that truly bind us’
2019 Epifanio Magazine, Harry Pye ‘Eight questions to Mr John Peter Askew’
2019 Corridor 8, Dave Pritchhard ‘John Peter Askew : WE’
2019 FAD Magazine, Paul Carey-Kent ‘Life in Perm’
2019 NARC Magazine, Dave Saunders ‘John Peter Askew’
2022 ‘Fire in the Mind’ Alistair Robinson
2022 ‘Life on Mars’ Lee Maelzer
2020 ‘Carousel In Snow’ Alistair Robinson
2020 ‘Counting Days’ Recounting Instants Fatoş Üstek
2020 ‘We’ Ian Jeffrey
2020 ‘Picnic’ Turner Ruggi
2020 ‘Young Man Paddling in a Stream’ Elena Zaytseva
2019 ‘Treatise on Living by the Younger, Generations’ Alistair Robinson
2019 ‘And Every Time I look at these Photographs I feel a Sense of Joy’ Anna Kligman
2019 ‘Making Pictures’ Ian Jeffrey
2019 ‘Whereas, with words, which story do I tell?’ John Peter Askew
2018 ‘Aberration of Light’ Lee Triming
2017 ‘Luybov’s Eye’ Georgia Korossi
2006 ‘Looking for a photograph of My Mother’ John Peter Askew
2005 ‘Ten Years’ Ian Jeffrey
2002 ‘The Light from the Window was Falling on your Face’ John Peter Askew
2001 ‘Flower’ Simon Morrissey