Dark Spring - John Crerar @ Ffoto Newport

Friday, March 4, 2022 – Saturday, May 30, 2022

Dark Spring is a black and white photographic landscape project that was shot in the countryside and along the coast near Newport, Gwent during the Spring months of 2020 and 2021. The dramatic and sparkling spring light many of us witnessed during the first lockdown in March 2020, coupled with the climate of uncertainty, fear and trepidation that characterised the early weeks of the pandemic, have informed both the style and content of John’s work. The series is therefore a deeply personal artistic response to the threat that confronted us all at that time while also bearing testimony to the cycle of renewal and hope that nature will always provide with the advent of Spring.

Born in London in 1957, John Crerar is a documentary photographer, film maker and lecturer based in Newport, South Wales. His work has been widely exhibited over the past two decades and has been collected by a number of institutions including The National Library of Wales. His photographic work shows a keen interest in subjects that are associated with the development of the post- industrial landscapes of South Wales.

Having retired from teaching in July 2014 John has since worked on a series of projects including the publication of a book featuring the old cinema buildings of South Wales and the development of an exhibition entitled ‘The Rookery’, which was shown at the Futures Gallery, Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay in May 2019.

In July 2019 John received a research and development grant from the Arts Council of Wales to develop his project Lions & Unicorns and the short film “What Comes Next?”.