Charlie Kirk joins LSPF 2020 to speak about his work and new book Katil Var, focusing on his time documenting social and political upheaval in Turkey.
Charlie started taking photos with a Canon Kiss and a zoom lens on a 30 day walk around the Japanese island of Shikoku in 2008. Like many others, he shortly became obsessed with the medium, trying out a number of cameras, techniques and styles, before, rather unimaginatively, settling on street photography with a Leica. The streets of Tokyo were a goldmine back then. Fuelled by alcohol, desire, loneliness and an ambition to become a regular contributor to the Hardcore Street Photography Flickr group, he quickly developed a body of work in the style of Bruce Gilden – focusing on the strange and beautiful. He was a founding member of Burn My Eye.
Charlie then spent 3 years in Turkey, dodging tear gas, being called a spy and getting into all manner of trouble, in order to document the country’s social and political upheavals. This was a defining period in his photographic journey, and one where he feels he produced his most mature work to date.
Charlie has released one book – Katil Var from his time in Turkey, and his work from Japan will soon appear in a zine, tentatively entitled Violently Happy. He is currently taking a sabbatical from photography, trying to work out what to do next.
You can find out more about Charlie’s photography here:
instagram: twocutedogs
