Pogus Caesar’s inspiration to pick up a camera came from a realisation that “photographs did not have to be perfect”. The lightbulb moment came while flicking through a book of Diane Arbus’ work during a trip to New York in the early 1980s and, inspired by her profoundly frank approach to portraits, Caesar immediately purchased a 35mm AF Camera upon his return to Britain. Having gone on to document the Handsworth Riots of 1985 and, more recently, the life work of poet Benjamin Zephaniah, the Saint Kitts-born, Birmingham-raised visual artist has created an archive that exists as an indispensable record of Black British history.
“During the development of that film, there was a realisation of: ‘That’s what I captured in that particular moment, so live with it – there is no going back!’” Caesar explains, looking back at the first photos he took. And it is exactly this sentiment of relinquishing control to the arresting imperfection of reality that became a guiding principle in his work. Perhaps his most prolific example of this is Schwartz Flâneur (roughly translating to ‘Black stroller’ or ‘saunterer’), the series was captured over three decades and often documents the very moment Caesar encountered his subjects.
“The series of photographs only became Schwartz Flâneur after reading about [early 19th-century German-Jewish philosopher] Walter Benjamin,” Caesar explains. “Benjamin also described the flâneur as an essential element of the modern urban spectator, an amateur detective and investigator of the city; this perfectly fitted my profile and still does to a great extent.”
From an interracial pair of Brummie builders with matching curls to a young couple enjoying a passionate embrace looking over Italy’s misty Lake Como, Schwartz Flâneur finds an art in people-watching, taking subjects exactly as it finds them. “It is the ordinary image that takes on a life of its own and breathes a contemporary element into the grainy black and white images shot on 35mm film,” Caesar sums up the series.
Among these, however, it is an image titled “Dinner Ladies” (featured below) that stands out for him. The photograph taken in Birmingham in 1984 depicts a playful moment between dinner ladies at a cafeteria local to Caesar’s work at the time. Two of the women hide behind an oven cloth, but their eyes pierce through, full of emotion. “It’s extremely personal to me. I got to know the subjects well, so there is a historical and contemporary fire smouldering behind their facial features that speaks volumes,” Caesar says of the image. As this image, among others, goes on show as part of the epic group exhibition Friends in Love and War – L’Éloge des meilleur·es ennemi·es at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham (and featuring the likes of Tracey Emin, Sonia Boyce, Lubaina Himid, and Paula Rego), the photogapher shares his intimate memories of the moment this poignant picture was taken…
“In the early 1980s, I was the director of WMEMAS – a small arts organisation operating throughout the West Midlands. Our tiny office was located in a school and, as we all know, when working in a building it is important to befriend the security guards and those who work in the canteen. My hours were irregular and I would often visit the dinner ladies hoping for a sandwich. As the months went by, the food became more glorious and the ladies a little more flirtatious. Subsequently, we became friends and, on one particular occasion, they were smiling and chatting behind the tea towel used for taking hot food out of the oven. The camera was in my bag, so it was an ideal opportunity to essentially document the energy bouncing off the walls in the warm and embracing kitchen environment.
“[The image is] very playful, the whole photograph is filled with joy, a moment of frivolity. I would have loved to hear what those low-voiced whispers said – as the decades pass by, I try and imagine the conversation to no avail. Maybe in the not-too-distant future, AI will be able to suggest what they are saying from the creases in the oven towel, eyes and smiles!
“We all know, eyes are windows to the soul! One interesting thing about the photograph is it invites conversation and requests the viewer to participate in imagining what the eyes convey – everyone’s answer is open to interpretation and should be respected.
Friendships can occur from a variety of scenarios, hold onto them – Pogus Caesar
“My travels have taken me to many amazing destinations; however, ‘Dinner Ladies’ conveys a certain type of unity, a bond of friendship that once achieved cannot be easily broken. On a personal level, when we first arrived in Britain from the West Indies, it was the Irish families who bonded with us. They would invite us into their homes and shared what little they had, whether food or conversation, and we returned the hospitality often. One remembers the slogans painted on the walls, such as “No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs”: these words, whether written or spoken, unite communities way beyond all expectations.
“Very simply, [the image illustrates] unity is strength. Challenge and question when required. Be fearless. Friendships can occur from a variety of scenarios, hold onto them. When they are gone or severed, you will realise their importance in your personal development and journey.”
Friends in Love and War – L’Éloge des meilleur·es ennemi·es, presented in collaboration with macLYON as part of the British Council’s UK/France Spotlight on Culture 2024, is running at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham until February 23, 2025. Visit the gallery above for a closer look of Caesar’s images.
