Overview
Capturing his enigmatic depictions of cultural figures as well as unknown sitters — Nadav Kander's portraits are layered and penetrating, revealing unexpected moments of reverie and vulnerability. Coinciding with the publication of Kander's new monograph The Meeting, Flowers Gallery presents a selection of the photographer's portraits (1991-2019).
From his award-winning series Yangtze: The Long River to his intimate portraits and nudes, Nadav Kander’s photographic work has been described as both beautiful and uneasy, alluding to the quiet and emotive aspects of human experience and hidden truths beneath the surface. As one of the most acclaimed and influential artists working today, Nadav Kander is known for his personal and intuitive modes of imagemaking. His photographs emphasise the importance of contemplation, inviting the viewer to pause and pay attention to the fundamental issues of today - from globalisation, industrial decline and climate catastrophe, to the inevitable vulnerability of the human body. Throughout his life, Nadav Kander has accumulated a parallel body of portrait photographs. Transforming the familiar into the uncanny, Kander has created images of extraordinary beauty and poignant human concern. Kander’s characteristically minimal approach reflects his interest as an artist in shared universal experience, moving beyond the specificity of public persona or status.
Publications
The Meeting
Regardless of his sitter—whether family member or influential celebrity—Nadav Kander’s portraiture shows what makes that particular individual human. His aim is to move beyond capturing an accurate likeness—to access the emotions within, the uncertainty, the shadow as much as the light, the complex sense of self that otherwise lays hidden.