Although Kevin Mackintosh left Africa 15 years ago for the United Kingdom (where he now lives and works between London, New York and Paris), the oldest continent continues to resonate through his work.
While his work expresses a personal ‘universe’ that combines an interest in art, theatre, European cinema, architecture, interiors and classical photography – Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, William Kentridge and Josef Koudelka, there is something about the largesse of his native country’s landscape and its many cultures which has left indelible marks.
It is there, equally, in the broody sense of nostalgia for a glorious – real or imagined – mythology so evident in his series on the historical Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, which has exhibited at solo exhibitions around the world. Kevin, his team of stylists and set designers travelled to Moscow in the winter of 2008 to photograph and create a very personal homage to the 300-year-old theatre and company.
Notable, too, is how the ancient mysticism of Africa fuses seamlessly with his own legacy of European fables; his effortless grasp of Fellini-esque surrealism and contemporary magical realism; and his strangely unquiet magpie interiors of memories lost and found. They all form a very important part of Kevin’s universe – a meeting of still life, fashion and a sense of theatre.
The work has been exhibited in many group and solo exhibitions, and was acquired by The National Portrait Gallery in London for their Permanent Collection.
L'uomo Vogue, Casa Vogue, Vogue Gioello, Vogue India, Muse, Exit, Dansk, GQ, Kenzo, Hermes, Aveda, Levis, Jumeriah Hotels, Glenmorangie
http://www.kevinmackintoshphotography.com/