no barking aRt
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There is something about Adam Isfendiyar’s photography and reportage that I find words hard to describe, when it comes to writing a feature about him, for me, that is not helping at all; sometimes, one finds some things are too good for something, somewhere and some people….Isfendiyar is one of these rare gems. Maybe that’s why I sense his photographs that speak of many things but find it hard to tell you in a sentence, where my words fail, his images prevail.
Adam Isfendiyar’s travelling documentations of many parts of the world have become his signature but more; he lived in Asia for almost a decade, as a man who was born in London, living in different parts of the world and seeing the ‘real world’ has defined his unique vision about humanity in his photos. Whether is The UK or Asia, through his lens, Isfendiyar brings the tender warmth of the world to the viewers that are filtered with Isfendiyarism and entirely his own, despite the hardship and some might say the darkness of humanity he had encountered in his travel. With his unique vision and the way of seeing, we have the privilege to see some of the most intimate and tender views of the world such as his ‘Golden Temple’ series in Amritsar, ‘Master, An Ainu Story’ in Japan, and the most ‘extreme’ project, to be with this homeless gentleman, Matsuyoshi and documented his life on the street for 2 months, living amongst them with Matsuyoshi… the list goes on and on; and as if that is not enough, Isfendiyar embarks on another original project when London is in the Lockdown. Instead of protecting himself from the Covid-19, he travelled around the entire city, talking to the people in the lockdown, street by street, house by house, making this one of the most sincere photo projects, ‘Living in Lockdown, London’. ‘The Americans’ (1959) was a two-year photography project the legendary photographer Robert Frank (1924-2019) took across the United States covering a ten-thousand-mile road trip across post-war America. In this body of work, Frank’s earlier romantic view of London, Paris, and New York was replaced by the images of a depressed post-war America. Just Like Frank, to Isfendiyar, cities are the characters. Though, instead of defined by the character, Isfendiyar brings character to the cities through his lens. Travelling gives him a body of new paint to create a new body of visual work, the cites and the world looks profoundly beautiful because of how Isfendiyar sees in people. ‘The Family of Man’ (1955) in MoMA, New York was an exhibition tells stories of human history of the last hundred years around the world through pictures; after our world recovered from this pandemic, this generation needs our own The Family of Man, and Isfendiyar’s ‘Living in Lockdown, London’ and his other works should be in the list along with many great photographers in that show. no barking aRt would be featuring his ‘Living in Lockdown, London’ in our next Sunday Feature, and for now, it is an honour to introduce you, our Feature 2020, Adam Isfendiyar. 
Japan Hokkaido Akan Mountain-winter
Music, art, people and travel are the things that get me most excited and are the biggest inspiration for my photography. Most of my printed artwork comes from my travels in East Asia, which is where I have spent the majority of the last ten years of my life - one year in China and 8 years in Japan.
Photos and imagery have contributed a lot to my endless fascination with other cultures and I have always had a burning desire to tell stories of human experiences. I try to create work that combines aesthetics and emotive storytelling and believe that understanding is best found through learning about the experiences of individuals and the lives they have lived.
Portrait of India - Amritsar
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Golden Temple
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My photography journey started whilst living in Tokyo, where I made two self directed long term photo documentaries: 'Dancing In The Streets' - a story about a member of ‘Sokerissa’- a homeless dance group and 'Master, An Ainu Story' - which tells the story of a member of the indigenous Ainu community of Japan.
Creating stories like these is much more than just meeting someone and taking their photo. I have spent a lot of time and energy getting to know people, travelling cross country, hitchhiking in -20 degree blizzards and sleeping on floors and in cardboard boxes in the street. I’m sure there could’ve been easier ways to do it, but for some annoying reason I like to do things the difficult way. It can make life a bit more interesting, and I think that the sacrifices and the struggles add something to my work. 
Shinjuku Jazz II
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Crossing Over
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After living in Japan for 8 years, I returned to London in September 2018. Master, An Ainu Story was chosen as one of the main exhibits at The Brunei Gallery, SOAS, from Oct’18 - Dec’18. It has since shown at Sway Gallery in London and Stockholm and most recently at The ICP Museum in New York as part of the ‘Projected’ series.
My aim with this work was to raise awareness of not just the Ainu people, but indigenous cultures around the world, and I hope to continue this work with the Ainu and with other indigenous groups. ‘Running Away - A Story of Homelessness (…and Dancing) in Tokyo’ has recently been shown at Coachwerks Gallery in Brighton, and has plans to be shown in Japan. Homelessness has always been a cause that I have felt affected by and also frustrated at my seeming inability to do anything to help. Working on this story opened my eyes to the power that the performing arts can provide for homeless people in re-engaging them with society and building confidence. I try to encourage the viewer to put themselves in the shoes of the subject. I often choose stories of people in situations that the audience may not be able to relate to but hope that they can empathise with their personal struggles and learn something about a corner of the world that they didn’t previously know much about by connecting with the main subject of the story on a personal level. 
Master, An Ainu Story Series I
Master, An Ainu Story Serie II
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My current series ‘Living in Lockdown, London’, on the contrary, is an event that everyone in the world can connect with and I wanted to be able to help to build connection through identification with others in a time of isolation. It has been featured on the BBC and I am expanding it to document the experiences of groups of people and how they have been affected by the pandemic in different ways.
At the core of what I do is the feeling of wanting to see people succeed and triumph through adversity, and also to create empathy and understanding. This translates to my commercial work as I love trying to help people to make their business or brand more successful. I work with small businesses, charities and musicians and artists on creating imagery for their personal branding and most recently have worked with Columbia Records, The BBC Scottish Orchestra, London Festival Opera, AddSalt Studios, Fight Bladder Cancer and Shelter. --- Adam Isfendiyar, London, June 2020. |
Manchester Barge
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Palawan Elnido
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