Alex Smailes: 10

A non-traditional 10-year survey of the work of one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most prolific and talented photographers

In 2012 UK-raised photographer Alex Smailes celebrated 10 years of living and photographing in Trinidad & Tobago. In typical Alex style (i.e. slightly quirky and off the beaten path), he chose to celebrate not just with an exhibition of photographs at Medulla Art Gallery, but also a non-traditional book of his images – large-format, loose leaf sheets of works, housed in a silkscreened cardboard slipcase. Alex engaged my help in selecting the works both for exhibition and for the book; we spent hours pouring over his oeuvre and ruthlessly editing down to carefully create narrative threads. In the end, I also wrote the very short text that accompanied both the exhibition and the publication.

SUMMARY | Role: Editor, Curatorial + Writing
Publication + exhibition, 2012
Designer: Richard Mark Rawlins
Exhibition photo: Marsha Pearce
Thumbnail photo: Kibwe Brathwaite