Physical Graffiti | Josh Cole
Josh Cole is a talented, gritty street photographer who describes himself as a physical graffitist. In 1997 at the age of 23 Cole undertook a degree in photography and began his career capturing his friends and acquaintances in the hip hop music scene; DJ's, recording artists and dancers. These contacts offered Cole work producing PR photos, album covers and flyers for record companies, promoters and artists. By the time he had graduated in 2001 his photographs had already been published in national and international music and style magazines.
Cole's life experiences before his career and his involvement in underground street culture, including graffiti, breakdance, and tattooing, have been a strong influence and inspiration. He has developed his personal work by exploring hip-hop and street culture in some of the most dangerous and deprived areas of the planet. Since 2011 Cole has shot in LA, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Rwanda, Ethiopia and The Congo.Cole has created a series of controversial and hard-hitting documentary photos with active street gangs and gypsy communities from across the UK with whom he has developed trusting and lasting relationships.https://vimeo.com/29810174 He has also had great success in the international advertising industry, working on campaigns for Nokia, Levis, Nike, Lucozade, Nintendo, Vodafone and T-Mobile.His much acclaimed personal work has been recognized with several awards and nominations from organizations such as the AOP Awards, Creative Review Annual and the Sony World Photography Awards. Having turned to directing, his first promo was for the Ministry of Sound and went on to win a Best in Book for the Creative Review photo awards and was nominated twice in the UK Music Video Awards for Best Dance Video and Best Cinematography.‘Physical Graffiti’ exhibits a body of work which captures such dynamism within its static media that it serves to re-invent not only our conception of these much overlooked communities, but our reaction to photography as a whole. Using a split second of suspension as the recurrent visual motif, ‘physical graffiti’ marries the arresting nature of Cole’s advertorial work with his deeply personal reaction to the gangs and crews encountered throughout his journey.Capturing the thrilling beauty of his wide-raging subjects, as well as the grit and realism associated with street culture, Cole documents the imperative part dance, movement and self expression plays within these ghettoised societies. These lifting portraits of humanity from across the world play upon themes of resurrection, resistance and un-restrained human exuberance which undeniably transfer from the subject to the viewer.The solo exhibition Physical Graffiti, at Hoxton Gallery, London, presents Cole's creative conception of a whole new movement in street art which will incorporate music, dance and physicality.