On Thursday 11 April 2024, documentary photographer John Bolloten drove the short distance from his home in Bradford, West Yorkshire, to The Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds, to install his exhibition at Photo North Festival 5. He found his allocated space, unpacked 18 large black & white prints and with swift precision, white-tacked them to the wall. The work was shocking and violent. John was respectful and calm.
For the duration of the three-day festival, John held vigil beside his exhibition, talking to visitors, explaining his method. When he delivered a presentation to around 60 people, some visibly winced and tightened their posture, others sat wide-eyed. ‘I do recognise that most of my work is on the margins of society and I’m also a figure on the margins,’ he said.
‘I’m seen as possibly a divisive figure, or some people see me as that. I don’t, obviously. I’ve always felt like an outsider my whole life, maybe that’s why I’m attracted to stuff that’s on the outside. I know that I make work that’s outside of the mainstream and
