Kate Friend: As Chosen By...

I first saw Kate Friend’s photographs earlier this year and my response was immediate. I was drawn to their particular alchemy -  the simplicity of a single, painterly flower set against a background of rich, unrelenting colour.  The fact that each was a portrait was somehow immediately apparent. I am delighted that now, several months later, we are presenting this body of work, ‘As Chosen By…’, at the gallery. 

Friend has a rigorous approach to the making of this series - a single flower and vessel, chosen by the sitter and shot in natural light at their home, studio, or garden.

Although her methodology is concise and consistent, the variety of images is testament to the array of unique personalities she has included in the project. These are portraits without people in and although there is no obvious human likeness, there is an undeniable humanity in each of Friend's photographs. This is the magic of her work.

- Lyndsey Ingram

Image: On location shot of Cosey Fanni Tutti, Euphorbia, Norfolk, 2019.