Matt Stuart (1974)[1] is a British
street photographer.[2] He was a member of the
In-Public street photography collective.[3] Stuart also works as an advertising photographer.[4]
His books of street photography include All That Life Can Afford (2016)[5] and Into the Fire (2020). His work has also been exhibited in solo exhibitions in Britain and the USA. Of note, his work also appeared in group exhibitions at the
Museum of London (which acquired his work for its permanent collection), the
Museum of the City of New York, France, Bangkok and Stockholm.
Life and work
Stuart was born in
Harrow, north west
London, in 1974.[6] In interviews he has described his life as having been spent singularly and obsessively devoted to one interest after another, including
skateboarding[7] from 1986 to 1994,[8] and
kung fu,[8] before taking up photography working as an assistant to a photographer for three years. From that experience, he turned professional by working for himself from 2000 onward.[6] His personal
street photography is his main focus, predominantly in London[5]—his book All That Life Can Afford (2016)[5] includes photographs made there between 2002 and 2015. He also works commercially as an advertising photographer,[4] and leads street photography workshops.[9][10] Stuart became a member of the
In-Public street photography collective in 2001[3] and in 2016 was a nominee member of
Magnum Photos.[11]
Publications
Publications by Stuart
All That Life Can Afford. London: Plague, 2016.
ISBN978-0-9935090-0-1.[n 1] With an essay by
Geoff Dyer, "Why does he do this every day?". First edition of 1000 copies and 100 limited editions; second printing, edition of 1000 copies and 100 limited editions.
Into the Fire. Richmond, UK: Setanta, 2020. Edition of 1000 copies.
All That Life Can Afford. Second edition, re-designed and with a new sequence of images. London: Plague, 2020. With an essay by Dyer. Edition of 1000 copies.
Photography in 100 Words: Exploring the Art of Photography with Fifty of its Greatest Masters. By David Clark. London:
Argentum, 2009.
ISBN978-1902538570.
10 – 10 Years of In-Public. London: Nick Turpin, 2010.
ISBN978-0-9563322-1-9. Includes an essay by
Jonathan Glancey, "Outlandish Harmony"; a foreword by Turpin; and a chapter each by Stuart and other In-Public photographers.
London Street Photography: 1860–2010. London:
Museum of London; Stockport:
Dewi Lewis, 2011.
ISBN978-1907893032. Selected from the Museum of London collection by Mike Seaborne and Anna Sparham. Published to accompany an exhibition at the Museum of London.
The Street Photographer's Manual. London: Thames & Hudson, 2014.
ISBN978-0-500-29130-6. By
David Gibson. Includes a profile of Stuart.
Failed it!: How to turn mistakes into ideas and other advice for successfully screwing up. London:
Phaidon, 2016. By
Erik Kessels.
ISBN978-0714871196.
Unseen London. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2017.
ISBN978-1-910566-24-4. With photographs by and interviews with various photographers, and text by Rachel Segal Hamilton.
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
On The Way, main post office,
Helsinki, Finland, October–November 2004.[13]
Look Both Ways, Leica Gallery San Francisco, February–April 2015;[16] Leica Store Washington DC, May–? 2015;[17]
Exhibitions with others or during festivals
Onto the Streets, Photofusion, London, 2006, then toured with the
British Council.[18] Curated by Stephen McLaren and Sophie Howarth.
in-public @ 10, Photofusion, Brixton, London, 2010.[19][20][n 2] Travelled to Les Ballades Photographiques de Seyssel, Seyssel, France, 2011;[21][22] Included photographs by In-Public members.
Street Photography Now,Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff, 2010. Photographs from the book Street Photography Now (2011).[23]
Street Photography Now, shop windows throughout the
Canal Saint-Martin area, part of Mois de la Photo-OFF, Paris, 2010.[24] Gallery Lichtblick, Cologne, 2010;[citation needed] Uno Art Space, Stuttgart, 2011.[25]
iN-PUBLiC: An Exhibition of Street Photography, Thailand Creative and Design Centre, Bangkok, Thailand, 2013. In conjunction with the
British Council.[31][32][33] Photographs by In-Public members.
In Public, Snickerbacken 7, Stockholm, Sweden, 2013.[34] Photographs by In-Public members.
The Magic Lantern Show, Deadhouse,
Somerset House, London, during Photo London, 2016. Exhibition of prints by Stuart accompanied by projections of work by Marina Sersale, Bredun Edwards and The Lurkers.[36][37][38]
Awards
2005: One of
Photo District News's "PDN 30 2005: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch"[39]
Collections
Stuart's work is held in the following public collection: