"When we were deciding on the shortlist for the Guardian exhibit last October, Robin Cracknell's tender, beautiful photographs really stood out. They suggest a sense of loss, a nostalgia or longing for times past, their cracked, worn, faded surfaces evoking fragments of narrative leaving us to wonder what was happening on either side of the image in front of us. I think this is one of the reasons why his photographs leave such an imprint in your mind." ... Rebecca Wilson, Director, Saatchi Gallery, London.
"Improvisational -- which is part of its charm ... The notebooks of Robin Cracknell and Saul Leiter are delicate and lovely, works of art in their own right." ... The Literate Lens, 2014.
"These notebook pages ... exist like silent testimonies or relevant passages that undulate between the original image and the page that holds it. Titles like “Lebanon Republic” though in no way discursive, lead the reader to a distant perhaps parallel mental landscape and the photographic image applied to it tends to travel along with it by a staccato hauntological effect." ... American Suburb X, 2016
"Robin Cracknell explores the transience of childhood, the fickleness of love and the impermanence of life. His notebooks are beautifully designed and their minimalism forces the reader to consider every element carefully. Flipping through them is like peering into someone’s memory and trying to decode its significance. Cracknell’s notebooks teach us that the capriciousness of memory can be beautiful, even if we’re not sure why we remember what we remember." ... 'Photographers' Sketchbooks' Thames and Hudson. 2014
"Taking his young son as a muse, the London-based photographer and single father combines a portrait of childhood with a critique of the complications of parenting and a reflection on his own youth. He uses corroded film stock, and his images can seem salvaged from the trash heap of memory. The identity of the boy, who is often seen swimming, is almost always obscured—his face covered by stars, dots, graffiti, and scratches. In one image, the child’s mouth is covered by an “X” of white tape. Throughout, Cracknell’s gaze is loving, yet frustrated." ... The New Yorker. April, 2016
Since his first major solo exhibition in 2007 entitled ‘The Camera Suture’ at The Whitecross Gallery in London, Robin Cracknell’s work has been widely exhibited internationally including, notably, a Saatchi-curated show at The Michael Hoppen Gallery in London and a solo show at Sous Les Etoiles in New York. A selection of his notebooks is featured in the acclaimed Thames and Hudson publication, ‘Photographers’ Sketchbooks’ with further work from his 'Childhood' series in Thames and Hudson's 'Family Photography Now'. His work has been reviewed and featured in many magazines including The New Yorker and Eyemazing Magazine and over 300 book cover commissions from every major publisher worldwide.
Robin Cracknell's photographs are in various private collections internationally as well as The National Portrait Gallery in London, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Fundacion Privada Sorigue, a museum of contemporary art in Lleida, Spain.
Selected Exhibitions Now We See: Picturing Barthes’ Unseen Photograph. Book launched in Spring 2020. Schilt Publishing in Amsterdam
The first exhibition of the entire project opened at the Houston Center for Photography September 2020.
2019. THE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW Pier 94 New York April 4 - 7. Sous Les Etoiles Gallery.
2018. Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary, January 11-15.
2017. Humble Arts Foundation (HAFNY) 'Seeing Sound'. Group Show 54. 28.09.17.
2017. ART NEW YORK. May 3 - 7.
2017. Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, New York City. 'The Farther I Remember'. 10.12.16 - 04.02.17.
2016. Uncertain States Annual. Mile End Arts Pavilion. London. November.
2016. EXPO CHICAGO September 22-25.
2016. Fotohaus. ParisBerlin Fotogroup. Berlin, 23 June and Arles, France. 7 July.
2016. Revela-T, Barcelona. Selections from 'Weight, the Sea'. 20 May - 5 June.
2016. Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, New York City. Solo Exhibition. 10 March - 30 April.
2015. 'The Heart Grows Fonder' I / LAND. London 2015 and Tokyo 2016.
2015. 'Lost Love'. SMBH Magazine.
2014. Art Experimenta. TriSpace Gallery. London, UK.
2013. World Wide Wall. Collection curated by Roger Ballen and Saatchi Art.
2013. ENFANCE(S) La(b) Galerie ARTYFACT Paris, FRANCE.
2013. Saatchi Screen. Saatchi Gallery, London, UK.
2013. Art + Healing. Street Gallery, UCL Hospital, London, UK.
2013. ‘Useless, useless’. California Building, Minneapolis, MN USA.
2012. Modern Love. Curated by DayFour Magazine. Theprintspace Gallery. London.
2010. Capture The Fade. Curated by Bill Henson and Ampersand Magazine. Sydney, Australia.
2009. Michael Hoppen Contemporary. 'Starting With a Photograph'. London.
2008. Chain Reaction: BFAMI Auction, Phillips de Pury, London.
2008. Art Au Salon, The Whitecross Gallery, London.
2007. The Whitecross Gallery, London : Solo exhibition, 'The Camera Suture' .
2007. Zoo Art Fair. Two photographs selected and sold by Saatchi Art.
2006. Guardian Press Room, London. Selected for premier exhibit with Saatchi Art and The Guardian.
Selected Publications
2022. Safelight Paper Magazine. Berlin. Launch issue: ‘Youth’
2021. Vostok Magazine. South Korea. Issue 028. Article and Feature.
2020. ‘Bleak House’ Curated by Brad Feuerhelm, published by VOID, Athens, Greece.
2020. Der Greif, Guest Room. Joseph Beuys theme. Curated by Diana Poole. May, 2020
2020. ‘Keeper of the Hearth: Picturing Roland Barthes’ Unseen Photograph’ Schilt Publishing, March 2020
2019. Der Greif, Artist Feature Showcase, ‘Subtitled Poetry’. August 2019.
2019. dienacht Magazine. Portfolio. ‘Subtitled Poetry’ August, 2019.
2018. Der Greif, Guest Room. Curated by Monica Allende. October, 2018.
2017. Propeller Magazine, #1 'Mancha'. December, 2017.
2017. Der Greif, Guest Room. Curated by Susan Bright. November, 2017.
2017. Analog Magazine. Issue 4. August 2017.
2017. Od Review. 'Robin Cracknell and the Invention of Belief' January 23, 2017.
2017. AINT-BAD Magazine. November 25, 2016.
2017. Phases Magazine. 'Weight, the sea'. November.
2016. American Suburban X. 'Robin Cracknell's Automatic Topographic Family'. October 18, 2016
2016. Der Greif / Fotomuseum Winterthur. 'Situations' (Un)filtered Scenarios. Sept/Oct.
2016. The Literate Lens. 'Well-Worn Words: An Interview with Robin Cracknell'. Sept. 6, 2016.
2016. The New Yorker Magazine. Review of 'Childhood' exhibition. April 18, 2016.
2016. Family Photography Now. Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren. Thames and Hudson.
2016. L'Oeil de la Photographie. 'Childhood' March 9, 2016.
2016. Musée Magazine. 'Science' Issue.
2016. Zindo & Gafuri Ediciones. Series of book covers, international poets and writers.
2016. Oranbeg Press. Net 14. 'A New Glass'
2015. Sarmad Magazine, Book Two. 120 copies, Risograph plates. Charles Nypels Labs. December.
2015. Lamono Magazine. 'Visiones de la Impermanencia.' August.
2015. Darwin Magazine. Volume 7: Analysing the Evidence.
2014. Eyemazing Susan Annual Pictorial.
2014. Musée Magazine. 'Rituals' Issue.
2014. The Literate Lens. Review of 'Photographers' Sketchbooks'.
2014. Velvet Dust Magazine. ‘Notes to Self.’
2014. Musée Magazine. 'Temptation' Issue.
2014. Heist Magazine / Photography Collective, London. July.
2014. Shoot Me Magazine. ‘Surfacing’ series. June.
2014. Photographers’ Sketchbooks. S. McLaren and B. Formhals. Thames and Hudson.
2014. Archivo Magazine. ‘The Constructed Image’. Spring Issue.
2014. F-Stop Magazine. ‘The Natural World’. April.
2014. All Hollow Magazine. ‘How Do Particles Adhere?’ Notebooks. Spring 2014, No 7.
2014. ArtPhotoMag. ‘Blue Lake’ series. February.
2014. SELF PUBLISH BE HAPPY. 'Self Publish Be in Love.' February.
2013. ‘Spotlight’ Strand Gallery, London. October.
2013. Darwin Magazine, Editor’s Pick. September.
2013. Paragraph Magazine. June. ‘Tenth of December’ by George Saunders.
2013. Feature Shoot. ‘Custody’. Group show: Mother’s Day. May.
2013. Feature Shoot. ‘Blue Lake’. Group show: Beach Vacation. April.
2013. Mutantspace. ‘Robin Cracknell Explores Childhood’.
2012. The Paris Review. Kay Ryan’s ‘Bitter Pill’. November
2012. Eyemazing Magazine. Fall Issue.
2012. Faith is Torment. August.
2012. DayFour Magazine. Modern Love Issue. Notebooks.
2011. Ampersand Magazine. The Fade. Autumn 2011 issue with Bill Henson.
2011. Ralph Lauren for Polo ‘Art Stars’ commission.
2010. Nihilsentimentalgia. Portugal. ‘Notebooks’ feature. November.
2009. Saatchi Art Critics Top 10 as chosen by Kerstin Niemann, curator Van Abbemuseum, Holland. March.
2009. The Telegraph Arts and Culture TV. ‘The Photographic Object’. September.
2009. London Evening Standard, Five star review of Hoppen exhibit. September.
2009. Rojo Magazine. Brazil. August.
2009. ArtInvestor Magazine. Germany. Feature with ‘No’. June.
2009. DAR Magazine. Greece. Feature with Interview. June.
2009. Eyemazing Magazine. Artist’s Issue. 04-2009.
2009. Piana Magazine. Poland. Feature with Interview. January.
2008. AXISWEB: Selected as 'Curator's Choice', November.
2008. Ex-Me Magazine. Japan. Feature. September.
2007. The Guardian Magazine. 27 January. ‘I Was Tormented ...’ Autobiographical piece.
2007. Saatchi Art Critics Top 10 Photographers as chosen by Aaron Schumann, editor SeeSaw Magazine. July.
2007. Nylon Magazine. ‘Custody’ and ‘Acid Summer’. June.
2007. O Globo Newspaper, Brazil. ‘Memory’ featured with interview. February.
2006. The Guardian G2 Arts. ‘Acid Summer’. September.
2006. The Guardian G2 Arts. ‘Custody’. October.
2000. Fax You: The Art of the Fax. Booth-Clibborn Editions. ‘Stutter’.
1997. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre: Artwork exclusively commissioned for relaunch of London's historic Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
1997. FX Magazine : Cover artwork on 'Damage' issue
1995. 'Eugene Onegin' poster for the Royal Opera House chosen for Victoria & Albert Museum's permanent collection.
1995. Design Week distinction. Cracknell's poster for English National Opera
1995. Blueprint Magazine features Cracknell's image for relaunch cover issue
1995. Design International: highlights Cracknell's series of cd covers for BMG Classics
1994. ‘Complete Lyrics by Bernie Taupin and Elton John’. Pavillion Books
1994. Design Week features Cracknell's work in article on Contemporary Photo Illustration.
1992. Creative Review: Cracknell's 'brutal photography' for Carr-Gomm agency.
1988 to present: 300 International Book Covers: Commissioned by every major English publisher and many American and European publishers including artwork for Booker Prize nominees Hilary Mantel, Tim Parks, Anne Tyler, Amos Oz, JM Coetzee, Ian McEwan, Michael Moorcock, AL Kennedy, etc.