The City of London through the lens of conflict photography

Photo: Paolo Pellegrin, commissioned by Fiona Banner in collaboration with the Archive of Modern Conflict

Mistah Kurtz – He Not Dead, 2014, Mixed media pinstripe wall drawing and framed Silver Gelatin photographs. Image Fiona Banner

I entered the PEER gallery a bit by chance and quickly realized that the exhibition involves one artist whose work i admire, an interesting-sounding organization called Archive of Modern Conflict and a photographer who has won numerous awards for his work on AIDS in Uganda, the conflict in Kosovo, the war in Lebanon, anti-terrorism in Algeria, etc.

The artist is Fionna Banner and the photographer is Paolo Pellegrin. Banner asked the photo reporter to explore the City of London and to reflect its activities, behaviours, customs and costume through the lens of conflict photography.

The photos are every bit as good as you would expect from Pellegrin and the way Banner has orchestrated them in the exhibition only adds depth, humour and an extra layer of information. Hundreds of the images are sequenced in a short and gripping film, accompanied by a mixed soundtrack of open cry trading at the London Metal Exchange, melded with a persuasive and hypnotic drumbeat. The other photos are either displayed in museum-type vitrines or inside frames hanging on the walls of a second gallery. Floor to ceiling graphite drawings magnify traditional City pinstripe suits to the point that they become overbearing (or maybe it’s just me who’s uncomfortable with having a drawing of a banker’s crotch at eye level.) The iconic pattern of the financial district even finds itself, absurdly, turned into nail art design. An amusing juxtaposition if you think that the financial sector in London has been relentlessly accused of being sexist.

Pinstripe nails, 2014. Image Fiona Banner

Speaking of sexy sex, i had to smile in front of the map that shows how strip bars are surrounding the Square Mile. The City of London Corporation has its own electoral system and its own laws. One of them forbids the presence of strip bars in the City. :

Image Fiona Banner

Mistah Kurtz – He Not Dead, 2014, Vitrine detail, 2014. Image Fiona Banner

The title of the show is Mistah Kurtz–he not dead. Mistah Kurtz is a character from Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness. Kurz is a shrewd and corrupt ivory trader in Africa who has managed to turn himself into a demigod of all the tribes surrounding his station. Towards the end of the book, the death of Kurts is announced by a ‘manager boy’ with the words ‘Mistah Kurtz – he dead.’ The City culture of excess, greed and aloofness from society offers indeed parallels to Conrad’s narrative.

After the show, the photos will be filed at the Archive of Modern Conflict under the heading Heart of Darkness, 2014.

It is not the first time that Banner references Heart of Darkness. Two years ago, she organised a performance of Orson Welles’ screenplay Heart of Darkness, based on Conrad’s story. It would have been Welles’ first film but it was rejected. He made Citizen Kane instead.

Photo: Paolo Pellegrin, commissioned by Fiona Banner in collaboration with the Archive of Modern Conflict

Mistah Kurtz – He Not Dead, 2014, Pinstripe drawings, vitrines, objects, high definition digital film projection and framed silver gelatin photographs, 2014. Image Fiona Banner