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Larry Towell

Larry Towell (born 1953) is a Canadian photographer, poet, and oral historian. Towell is known for his photographs of sites of political conflict in Ukraine, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Standing Rock and Afghanistan, among others. In 1988, Towell became the first Canadian member of Magnum Photos.

Larry Towell
Born1953 (age 70–71)
Chatham-Kent, Ontario
Occupation(s)Photographer, Photojournalist
Known forPhotojournalism
Awards
Websitewww.larrytowell.com

Early life and education

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Towell was born in Chatham-Kent, Ontario[1] and grew up in a large family in rural Ontario, attending local schools. At college, he studied visual arts at York University in Toronto, where his interest in photography first began.[2]

Life and work

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In 1976 Towell volunteered to work in Calcutta, India, where he became interested in questions about the distribution of wealth and issues of land and landlessness.[3] Returning to Canada, he taught folk music and wrote poetry during the 1980s.[2]

Towell became a freelance photographer in 1984.[4] Towell's photographic projects are often long-form investigative pieces; this format allows him to connect with the subjects he depicts.[5] His early work included a project on the Contra war in Nicaragua,[6][7] in which he met civilians who the United States-backed Contras had persecuted, including landmine victims.[5] He also photographed the civil war in El Salvador,[8] American Vietnam War veterans who worked to rebuild Vietnam, and relatives of the "disappeared" in Guatemala - those presumed murdered by Guatemalan security forces. His book House on Ninth Street is a collection of his photos taken in Guatemala during this time.[5]

In 1988, Towell joined the Magnum Photos agency, becoming the first Canadian associated with the group.[9] His first magazine essay looked at the ecological damages from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He has since had picture essays published in The New York Times, Life, Rolling Stone, and other magazines. His work has included documentation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,[10][11] Mennonite migrant workers in Mexico,[12] and a personal project on his family's farm in southern Ontario.[13]

From 2008 to 2011, Towell traveled five times to Afghanistan to photograph the social effects of the Afghan civil war.[14][15][16] Between 2013 and 2015, he photographed the above and underground construction work in Toronto's Union Station.[17][18] In 2015 his photo Isaac's first swim was published by Canada Post as a stamp.[19][20] In 2016 Towell photographed the Standing Rock protest in Standing Rock, North Dakota.[21][22]

He works in both film and digital photography formats. He has said "Black and white is still the poetic form of photography. Digital is for the moment; black and white is an investment of time and love."[2][23] He has also worked with panoramic cameras to document the impact of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.[24][2]

Towell has published books of photographs, poetry, and oral history. He has also recorded several audio CDs of original poetry and songs.

Personal life

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Towell lives in rural Lambton County Ontario and sharecrops a 75-acre farm with his wife Ann and their four children.[25]

Publications

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  • Burning Cadillacs (1983)
  • Gifts of War (1988)[26]
  • Somoza's Last Stand (1990)[27]
  • The Prison Poems of Ho Chi Minh (1992)[28]
  • House on Ninth Street (1994)[29]
  • El Salvador (1997)[30]
  • Then Palestine (1999)
  • The Mennonites (2000)[31]
    • Second edition. London: Gost, 2022. ISBN 978-1-910401-53-8. Re-edited, re-sequenced and with 40 new images.
  • No Man's Land (2005)
  • In the Wake of Katrina (2006)
  • The World From My Front Porch (2008)[2][25]
  • The Cardboard House: MSF Peru - Action on Aids. Trolley Books. 2008. ISBN 978-1-904563-71-6.
  • Ruins: Afghanistan (2009)[32]

Films

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Awards

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Exhibitions

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References

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  1. ^ "Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival". scotiabankcontactphoto.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Larry Towell article". Walrus Magazine. 12 June 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Larry Towell Profile". Magnum Photos. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
  4. ^ "Larry Towell • Photographer Profile • Magnum Photos". Magnum Photos.
  5. ^ a b c Bassnett, Sarah; Parsons, Sarah (2023). Photography in Canada, 1839–1989: An Illustrated History. Toronto: Art Canada Institute. ISBN 978-1-4871-0309-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "You Will Change: Magnum Photographer Larry Towell Has Advice for Young Photojournalists". Vice. 16 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Ontario Arts Foundation / Fondation des Arts l'Ontario". ontarioartsfoundation.on.ca.
  8. ^ "EL SALVADOR. 1989". pro.magnumphotos.com.
  9. ^ a b "Larry Towell: Works 1985-2000". www.gallery.ca.
  10. ^ "Today's Pictures: No Man's Land". todayspictures.slate.com.
  11. ^ "The Stories Behind Some of the World's Most Iconic Photographs". Pacific Standard.
  12. ^ a b "Larry Towell: Sound & Vision – Point of View Magazine". povmagazine.com. February 2009.
  13. ^ "Larry Towell biography". Bulger Gallery. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
  14. ^ "Another Side of Afghanistan by Larry Towell". Time.
  15. ^ "Current Obsession: Larry Towell's haunting photographs from the ruins of Afghanistan". Toronto Life. 4 July 2012.
  16. ^ Estrin, James (8 December 2014). "Losing the Media War in Afghanistan". The New York Times.
  17. ^ Ritchie, Kevin (25 September 2017). "Five stunning photos of Union Station's ongoing revitalization". Now.
  18. ^ "What to do in Toronto this week: September 5 to 10, 2017". Toronto Life. 5 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Bothwell-area photojournalist among seven photographers recognized by Canada Post". The Chatham Daily News. 7 April 2015.
  20. ^ "Acclaimed Lambton photographer in running for new honour". theobserver.ca. 13 September 2016.
  21. ^ "Standing Rock". Visa pour l'Image.
  22. ^ "Standing Rock and the Power and Determination of Indigenous America". Pacific Standard.
  23. ^ Genova, Alexandra. "These Professional Photographers Are Still Shooting Film". Time.
  24. ^ "Magnum Photos". pro.magnumphotos.com.
  25. ^ a b c "Larry Towell". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  26. ^ Canadian Book Review Annual. Peter Martin Associates. 1988. ISBN 978-0-88924-211-1.
  27. ^ "Larry Towell". sites.utexas.edu.
  28. ^ Wascana Review. English Department, University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus. 1991.
  29. ^ James T. Lawrence (2004). Human Rights in the Americas. Nova Publishers. pp. 124–. ISBN 978-1-59033-934-3.
  30. ^ "Magnum Photos". pro.magnumphotos.com.
  31. ^ Brett Abbott (2010). Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties. Getty Publications. pp. 176–. ISBN 978-1-60606-022-3.
  32. ^ "Picturing Afghanistan". The New Yorker. 3 October 2014.
  33. ^ "Seeing the world through Larry Towell's lens: One-man show is a fundraiser for the SPARK Photo Festival". The Peterborough Examiner. 22 October 2014.
  34. ^ "Snapshots". Popular Photography. June 1992. p. 5. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  35. ^ "Larry Towell". World Press Photo.
  36. ^ "1994 Larry Towell WY". World Press Photo. Archived from the original on 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  37. ^ "Pictures of the Year". National Press Photographers Association. 16 October 2012.
  38. ^ "In Camera". American Photo. July–August 1996. pp. 20–.
  39. ^ "Winner 1979 - 2002 - LOBA". Winner 1979 - 2002 - LOBA.
  40. ^ "First Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards Are Announced". Columbia University. 1998-01-12. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  41. ^ "Larry Towell (1994-10-14): Kodak Lectures". imageartslectures.blog.ryerson.ca. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  42. ^ "Larry Towell - Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson". Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.
  43. ^ "Canadian photographer wins Prix Nadar - CBC News". CBC.ca.
  44. ^ "Larry Towell reçoit le prix Nadar". La Croix. 22 December 2005.
  45. ^ "Ontario Arts Foundation / Fondation des Arts l'Ontario". ontarioartsfoundation.on.ca. Archived from the original on 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  46. ^ Le Mois de la photo à Montreal: septembre 1991. Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. 1991. ISBN 9782980160813.
  47. ^ "Larry Towell muestra sus imágenes literarias". El País. 6 June 1998.
  48. ^ "Larry Towell". www.noorderlicht.com.
  49. ^ "Windows on the soul Larry Towell: The Mennonites". The Scotsman.
  50. ^ "Larry Towell - Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson". Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.
  51. ^ "Larry Towell at Foam Amsterdam - Artmap.com". artmap.com.
  52. ^ "2006: Year in Review". Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam.
  53. ^ "Larry Towell: The World From My Front Porch at Eastman House Feb. 16 through June 15". George Eastman House. Archived from the original on 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  54. ^ "Larry Towell and Donovan Wylie: Afghanistan". Contact Photography Festival. Archived from the original on 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
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