Artist of the Month - Charles Moriarty

2 years ago

- what was the first photography book you bought?

Well… I wanted to buy a Mapplethorpe book, but honestly at 15 I was far too nervous to bring it to the counter. So it was Taschen's The Male Nude by David Leddick, which I still use to this day as a reference guide.

- what is your favourite colour?

Blue - cobalt, or Yves Klein kind of blue.

- who are your photographic influences?

There’s quite a range, and over the years some have become more prominent. Philip Lorca diCorcia, in particular his book Hustlers. Nan Goldin, Wolfgang Tilllmans, Gordon Parks, Larry Clark, Norman Seeff, Robert Mapplethorpe, David LaChappelle, Collier Schorr, Cindy Sherman, Peter Hujar, George Dureau, Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Garcon Jon, Tom Stoddart, George Platt Lynes, Herb Ritts, Stanley Kubrick…. I could go on. There’s a wealth of creation out there to be inspired by.

- what is your favourite museum?

Probably the V&A, although I really wish they’d improve their photography section. If I didn’t have to leave I’d stay there for days, there’s just so much to look at. You can become lost in antiquity. I also love the National Portrait Gallery, it continually inspires.

- if you could buy any photograph which would it be?

This is a nightmarish question, I would love a Wolfgang Tillmans, maybe The Cock (kiss) (2002) because I was part of that scene, a year later that was me at The Cock. But I also want a million other things, I’m awaiting that winning lottery ticket.

- your favourite holiday destination?

I’ll cheat and say South America….it’s like stepping into a different world every time.

- if there is one living person you could photograph who would it be?

That list is long, but I’ve wanted to photograph Angelica Huston for forever. I haven’t been able to get her out of my head since I saw a shot of her from an 80’s Elle magazine where she’s standing in a telephone box.

- what is your guilty pleasure?

I really enjoy going by myself to the cinema, or spending the day in a big museum. It feels like skiving but really it’s all connected to work.

- what is your favourite city?

It has changed over the years but I will stick with my first. When I was in my late teens and early 20’s I fell in love with Rio de Janeiro. It was my first taste of freedom, and I felt as close to myself as I’d ever been. I loved the people and their warmth, the crumbling relic of colonialism that ran through the city, and the topography was just the most beautiful thing to witness on a daily basis. I was a very long way from home and I couldn’t have been happier.

- which charities do you support?

I’m a big fan of and always support Movember, check those balls boys. I recently found the Rainbow Railroad, which I want to look into and begin to support. In a world where being queer is still not accepted globally, where in so many places we are being murdered, the railroad can play an important role in protecting those at risk and removing them from harms way. I give to several hospices, in the UK and Ireland, having lost several people to cancer and knowing how important these places are.

See all Charles Moriarty artworks here