‘I call them erotic landscapes’: fashion photographer Tim Walker on his powerful tapestry of queer Britain
He has shot everyone from Madonna to Rihanna, Kate Moss and Frank Ocean. Now Walker has turned his lens on the activists, artists, writers, models and everyday heroes of gay life
TL;DR
- Tim Walker's exhibition "Fairyland: Love and Legends" at the National Portrait Gallery features portraits of queer figures in Britain.
- The exhibition was inspired by a plaque marking the first gay rights demonstration in Britain and Walker's childhood memories.
- Portraits include activists like Peter Tatchell and Phyllis Opoku-Gyimah, celebrities like Ian McKellen, and everyday heroes, with styles ranging from Renaissance imitation to trademark white backgrounds.
- The exhibition touches on significant historical moments, including the first news of AIDS in Britain and the public health campaign of the 1980s.
- It also features explicit erotic imagery, which the National Portrait Gallery relegated to an "18-plus" section.
- Walker's personal journey includes a homophobic boarding school experience, early exposure to queer cinema, and working under Richard Avedon in New York.
- Despite his success in fashion photography, Walker emphasizes that fantasy, not fashion, was his primary motivation.
- He laments the decline of glossy magazines but sees his exhibition as an ambitious continuation of his artistic vision.