098 - Matthew Finn
Matthew Finn has a Degree in Photography from Derby University and an MA in Photographic Studies from Westminster University.
He is best known for his long term projects, undetaken over a period of nearly 30 years, focussing both on his mother, Jean, and his uncle, Jean’s brother, Des.
A book of the former project entitled Mother was published by Dewi Lewis in 2017 and the work has been exhibited at various major galleries including Jerwood Space, London, the Impressions Gallery Bradford and The Open Eye gallery Liverpool. The project won him the Jerwood/ Photoworks Awards in 2015.
Matthews latest book, due to be published by Stanley Barker later this year, is entitled School of Art and features portraits of his students taken while he was a teacher during the mid to late 90’s.
In episode 098, Matthew discusses, among other things:
- Discovering the astonishing truth about his father on the eve of his funeral
- How his mum and uncle became his first subjects
- Love and guilt
- His School of Art work and why it wouldn’t be possible now
Referenced:
- John Blakemore
- Nicholas Nixon’s The Brown Sisters
- Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency
- Sally Mann’s Immediate Family
- Paul Graham
- Bill Brandt
- Daniel Meadows
- Alec Soth
- Elinor Carucci
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“I must be the only person who’s never ever undertaken a commercial job and I’ve been making photographs for over 30 years!”