Tim Flach
Encyclopedia
Tim Flach is a photographer best known for his highly conceptual portraits of animals, particularly horses. His images of animals are a departure from traditional wildlife photography
and he has been described as “a potent example of a commercially trained photographer who’s now reaching a global audience through the boom in fine art photography.” He is the author of the books Equus and Dogs Gods.
(1982–1983). On graduation he briefly assisted Brian Worth, but soon began to attract commissions and was working independently from 1983. Today his clients include the Sunday Times, Cirque du Soleil
, Sony
, luxury brand Hermès
and the Locarno International Film Festival. His images have twice been featured on Royal Mail stamps (2000) and "Working Dogs" (2008) as well as in campaigns for the Minnesota Zoo. His fine art prints are represented in London by the Osborne Samuel gallery.
and anthropocentrism
. Among the subjects are monkeys, horses, bats, turkeys, parrots, Chinese pigs, dogs, frogs, fish and chameleons. “I shoot bats, embryos and flies on shit. I’m fascinated by how we interpret and humanize images of animals.” His images have been described as a system for thinking constructed and questioned by animal imagery: "Nobel Prize-winner author Elias Canetti
penned an aphorism that could easily be applied to Flach – a person who 'thinks in animals as others think in concepts'."
Flach’s often abstract
photographic style has been described as “the perfect antithesis to anthropomorphism
”. "Flach employs the artistic technique of defamiliarization
in many of his studio portraits, creating deliberately ambiguous close-ups, which present the subject at unusual angles in order to provoke questions from the viewer." “He may depict a horse against a monumental landscape, or create a close-up image of part of the animal so that it challenges our perspective and forces us to reconsider and question for ourselves why we react in a specific way to what we are seeing."
The images in Equus fall into three sections. The first contains a range of close-up studio portraits. The second explores how location has played a part in shaping the horse and features different horse breeds, including the only remaining undomesticated horse in the world, the Przewalski's Horse
from Mongolia, shown in their natural environment. “Flach has crossed continents in pursuit of equines in their natural environment. He has photographed Mustangs in the deserts of Utah, Haflinger’s high in the Austrian Alps, Arabians in expansive deserts, Icelandic horses against glacial backdrops and racing Thoroughbreds in the pristine confinement of their training environments.” The third examines the myriad ways humanity has shaped the horse, including photographs of cross-bred horses such as the Zonkey, a collection of images of horses wearing headgear ranging from armour to respiratory masks, and a series of photographs shot at Cambridge University showing the development of a horse from embryo to fetus.
. A subset of images were chosen by Creative Review
magazine as Best In Book in its 2010 Annual awards. Ahead of publication, The Economists Intelligent Life magazine ran a 12-page feature, noting how the images were in part a visual exploration of research into sensation and perception, such as the work of neuroscientist Morton L. Kringelbach. The article said 'Flach's bestiary, apparently so self-contained and stylised, often reveals unexpected layers of meaning.'
Wildlife photography
Wildlife photography is the act of taking photographs of wildlife.Wildlife photography is regarded as one of the more challenging forms of photography. As well as needing sound technical skills, such as being able to expose correctly, wildlife photographers generally need good field craft skills...
and he has been described as “a potent example of a commercially trained photographer who’s now reaching a global audience through the boom in fine art photography.” He is the author of the books Equus and Dogs Gods.
Education and work
Tim Flach studied Communications Design at the North East London Polytechnic (1977–1980) and then Photography and Painted Structures at Central Saint Martins College of Art and DesignCentral Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
(1982–1983). On graduation he briefly assisted Brian Worth, but soon began to attract commissions and was working independently from 1983. Today his clients include the Sunday Times, Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, luxury brand Hermès
Hermès
Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès is a French high fashion house established in 1837, today specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear...
and the Locarno International Film Festival. His images have twice been featured on Royal Mail stamps (2000) and "Working Dogs" (2008) as well as in campaigns for the Minnesota Zoo. His fine art prints are represented in London by the Osborne Samuel gallery.
Animal photography
Flach's work has increasingly focused on animals, ranging widely across species but united by a distinctive style that is derived from his concerns with anthropomorphismAnthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
and anthropocentrism
Anthropocentrism
Anthropocentrism describes the tendency for human beings to regard themselves as the central and most significant entities in the universe, or the assessment of reality through an exclusively human perspective....
. Among the subjects are monkeys, horses, bats, turkeys, parrots, Chinese pigs, dogs, frogs, fish and chameleons. “I shoot bats, embryos and flies on shit. I’m fascinated by how we interpret and humanize images of animals.” His images have been described as a system for thinking constructed and questioned by animal imagery: "Nobel Prize-winner author Elias Canetti
Elias Canetti
Elias Canetti was a Bulgarian-born modernist novelist, playwright, memoirist, and non-fiction writer. He wrote in German and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1981, "for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power".-Life:...
penned an aphorism that could easily be applied to Flach – a person who 'thinks in animals as others think in concepts'."
Flach’s often abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
photographic style has been described as “the perfect antithesis to anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
”. "Flach employs the artistic technique of defamiliarization
Defamiliarization
Defamiliarization or ostranenie is the artistic technique of forcing the audience to see common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, in order to enhance perception of the familiar...
in many of his studio portraits, creating deliberately ambiguous close-ups, which present the subject at unusual angles in order to provoke questions from the viewer." “He may depict a horse against a monumental landscape, or create a close-up image of part of the animal so that it challenges our perspective and forces us to reconsider and question for ourselves why we react in a specific way to what we are seeing."
The book, Equus
Tim Flach’s first book, Equus, is a comprehensive photographic study of equus: “the family of animals: that goes from Ass to Zebra, but is mostly Horses” and has 180 photographs of forty different horse breeds, including donkey and zebra breeds. Humans are intentionally absent from the images. "Historically equestrian art has essentially been a mechanism used to impose status upon patrons. What I'm doing is distinctive because it chooses not to show man with horse. By separating the horse from the man I am able to focus upon celebrating the horse itself."The images in Equus fall into three sections. The first contains a range of close-up studio portraits. The second explores how location has played a part in shaping the horse and features different horse breeds, including the only remaining undomesticated horse in the world, the Przewalski's Horse
Przewalski's Horse
Przewalski's Horse or Dzungarian Horse, is a rare and endangered subspecies of wild horse native to the steppes of central Asia, specifically China and Mongolia.At one time extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced to its native habitat in Mongolia at the Khustain Nuruu...
from Mongolia, shown in their natural environment. “Flach has crossed continents in pursuit of equines in their natural environment. He has photographed Mustangs in the deserts of Utah, Haflinger’s high in the Austrian Alps, Arabians in expansive deserts, Icelandic horses against glacial backdrops and racing Thoroughbreds in the pristine confinement of their training environments.” The third examines the myriad ways humanity has shaped the horse, including photographs of cross-bred horses such as the Zonkey, a collection of images of horses wearing headgear ranging from armour to respiratory masks, and a series of photographs shot at Cambridge University showing the development of a horse from embryo to fetus.
The book, Dogs Gods
Flach's second book, published in September 2010, is a study of dogs, created with the writer and creative director Lewis Blackwell. It focuses on the diversity of dog breeds, revealing how their forms and capabilities provide a mirror to human development and identity over millions of years. The extremes to which humans interact with dogs today are explored through sections including a focus on the subculture of creative grooming and coverage of the cloned descendants of 9/11 dog hero TrakrTrakr
Trakr was a German Shepherd police dog who along with his handler, Canadian police officer James Symington, discovered the last survivor of the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City in 2001. For his accomplishments, Trakr was named one of history’s most heroic animals by...
. A subset of images were chosen by Creative Review
Creative Review
Creative Review is a monthly magazine targeted on the commercial arts and design scene. Creative Review has a circulation of around 20,000 readers. In general it focuses content on media originating in United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, showcasing some of the best contemporary...
magazine as Best In Book in its 2010 Annual awards. Ahead of publication, The Economists Intelligent Life magazine ran a 12-page feature, noting how the images were in part a visual exploration of research into sensation and perception, such as the work of neuroscientist Morton L. Kringelbach. The article said 'Flach's bestiary, apparently so self-contained and stylised, often reveals unexpected layers of meaning.'
Awards
Flach has repeatedly been honoured by leading organisations and publications in the photography world, including: the Association of Photographers, American Photography, Photo District Annual, Communication Arts, Cannes Lions, Creative Review and Design & Art Direction. He has also won the International Photography Awards Professional Photographer of the Year, Fine Art.External links
- timflach.com (requires Flash)
- pqblackwell.com (requires Flash)
- Osborne Samuel Gallery