Nigel Malone's career as a photographer has moved through many guises throughout his working life. The one constant has been his ability to capture the essence of a moment in time. There is an assured patience in Malone's practice. He distills the spirit of pioneer photographers, Henri Cartier-Bressons and Robert Capa, in how he observes the world. Deeply aware of his surroundings, Malone’s camera is always within arm’s reach, ready to capture minor moments, elevating them into beautiful and significant images. It is a rare skill in a contemporary world predicated on working at pace. Malone's aesthetic seduction comes from the compositional relationships of his subjects within the picture-plane, imprinting an atmospheric gravitas on his works. 

The works in this exhibition have been shot on the same analogue film camera with which the artist started his career thirty years ago. An exquisite softness in the film process resonates throughout the body of work. The title, Tokyo Ku refers to the wards of the metropolis of Tokyo. It is a city whereby ancient aesthetics collide within a thoroughly modern paradigm.

In Malone's words:

“Tokyo was the most vibrant expression of humanity I could find - Tokyo ku is an exploration of the wards of Tokyo. Yet, for all its intensity, Tokyo became a meditation. For those who have attempted the practice, you’ll know it’s often difficult to start and find the clarity of thought. But ultimately, the goal is to find the space between thoughts, or in my case, the images between the intensity, where real becomes ethereal.”

Ralph Hobbs
April, 2023