John Riddy

John Riddy (born 1959) is a British photographer who came to the fore after his solo exhibition at Camden Arts Centre in 2000. He lives and works in London and has exhibited internationally since 1998.

Life and career

Riddy started taking and printing photographs at the age of 14 and earned a BA and MA in Fine Art at Chelsea School of Art (1980–84). Since his first solo exhibition in 1993 Riddy has consistently worked in series, with an emphasis on considered description. Architecture, the particularities of place and the urban environment have been constant subjects, whilst the starting point for many of his series has been the relationship between photography and the history of art and architecture. Typical examples are the autobiography of John Ruskin, the woodblock prints of Hokusai Choices about format, materials and technique have been intrinsic to each series and Riddy’s focus has been on the exhibited print. Shortly afterwards he started working with Frith Street Gallery who continue to represent him. His first survey exhibition was at Camden Arts Centre in 2000 He has exhibited regularly with Galerie Paul Andriesse in the Netherlands and Lawrence Markey in the USA. His exhibition Palermo at Frith Street gallery in 2013 was reviewed by theguardian.com and Aesthetica Magazine. Aesthetica described the photographs as "anything but spontaneous. Physical decay of the urban landscape is juxtaposed with a remarkable formal beauty just as, in a more conceptual sense, time and timelessness contend with each other in these works". Adrian Searle commented "If his photographs have anything to do with Cartier-Bresson's "decisive moment", it is a moment that has taken months and several visits to present itself. It is the moment when everything seems alive but precisely nothing is happening.".

Solo exhibitions

Riddy's solo exhibitions include Photographs, De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art, Tilburg, Half-light, Frith Street Gallery, London, 2018, Palermo, Frith Street Gallery, London, 2013, Views from Shin-Fuji, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2006, Victoria and Albert Museum, London Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam Arts Council of Great Britain, London British Council Collection Government Art Collection UK Museum of London Margulies Collection BBC Collection, London Hiscox Collection Goldman Sachs International

Publications

John Riddy: Photographs (2019), essay by Michael Fried and conversation with James Welling, edited by Liz Jobey, Göttingen: Steidl, John Riddy: Views from Shin-Fuji (2013), published by Frith Street Books, London John Riddy: Palermo (2013), published by Frith Street Books, London John Riddy – 8 Skies (2004), published by Frith Street Gallery and Paul Andriesse John Riddy (2000), published by Camden Arts Centre in association with the de la Warr Pavilion John Riddy: Praeterita (2000), published by the Ruskin School of Drawing Rome, published by Lawrence Markey Gallery, New York, 1999

Other critical writings

John Riddy: Palermo, London | Aesthetica Magazine James Castle/ John Riddy | Frieze John Riddy: Photographs, De Pont | nrc.nl (dutch) Rachel Withers, Art Forum, June 2009 Rebecca Geldard, Time Out Exhibition of the Week, March 2009