Korte beschrijving/Annotatie

A photo-text book presenting a counter-narrative of the British city of Oxford that resists the visual imperatives of its ancient university.

Tekst achterflap

A Certain Logic of Expectations proposes a counter-narrative of the British city of Oxford that resists the visual imperatives of its ancient university. For the past five years, Mexican photographer Arturo Soto explored the longstanding division between town and gown through a careful selection of spaces and objects. His visual narrative is loosely structured around the following thematic strands: notions of home and homelessness, the looming presence of Brexit, the conflicted local economy, and the diversity of the city’s neighbourhoods. In short texts Soto describes his experience of the city and his fascination with its history and myths. The work challenges an easy judgment on Oxford and its established narratives of tradition, influence, and power. In his photography as well as his written observations, Soto proves that his pen is as sharp as his eye.

Slogan/Promotie

A Certain Logic of Expectations proposes a counter-narrative of the British city of Oxford that resists the visual imperatives of its ancient university. For the past five years, Mexican photographer Arturo Soto explored the longstanding division between town and gown through a careful selection of spaces and objects. His visual narrative is loosely structured around the following thematic strands: notions of home and homelessness, the looming presence of Brexit, the conflicted local economy, and the diversity of the city’s neighbourhoods. In short texts Soto describes his experience of the city and his fascination with its history and myths. The work challenges an easy judgment on Oxford and its established narratives of tradition, influence, and power. In his photography as well as his written observations, Soto proves that his pen is as sharp as his eye.

Biografie

Arturo Soto (1981, Mexico) is a photographer and writer. He holds an MFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York, an MA in art history from University College London and undergraduate degrees in film and photography from Savannah College of Art and Design. He currently resides in the United Kingdom, where he is a PhD candidate at Oxford University. Soto’s work focuses on the sociopolitical markers in urban spaces, which he considers as a sum of imaginaries that transcend physical space. He is interested in highlighting the importance of the everyday through the language and conventions of documentary photography.

Details