Want To See More Of Me? is a new series of portraits of Black British actors by acclaimed photographer Donald MacLellan, partnered by the UK Film Council. It features a cross section of actors who are well known in film and TV, such as Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Okonedo and Noel Clarke, alongside young actors who are at the beginning of their careers, and it raises questions about the roles that are available to Black British film actors.
Originally from the West Highlands of Scotland, MacLellan had his first solo exhibition, Black Power, at the National Portrait Gallery in London, in 1998. This exhibition has also been shown there and is now touring other UK venues. I visited the exhibition in Leeds, where it is showing at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, and later spoke to MacLellan.
He tells me that he came up with the idea for this exhibition in 2006, and approached the UK Film Council for funding. All the pictures shown were taken specially for this exhibition. I ask if he chose these particular shots because he saw them as challenging. “Yes. The title for the exhibition was chosen by the Film Council. If you look carefully you will see that all the subjects are looking at the viewer, so you could say they are challenging.”
I ask MacLellan how much input he has in the way his portraits are exhibited. He says that the Portrait Gallery painted the wall in the colour of his choice, but unfortunately he doesn’t have that much input now that the exhibition is on tour. I have to say that I was rather disappointed with the staging of the exhibition in Leeds, but space in such venues is obviously limited.
When I ask: “What would you like your exhibition to achieve?” MacLellan says he sees this as just a small part of bringing awareness to directors, casting directors etc. that there is a large pool of very good black actors out there. And “Black actors don’t just have to be in ethnic minority films.”
MacLellan is already working on a follow up exhibition, for which he is close to getting funding. I wished him luck with this. These dynamic and thought provoking portraits deserve a wider audience.
The exhibition continues in Leeds until March 1, then moves on to Liverpool, Birmingham and Cardiff. Catch it if you can. Further preview images are available at : http://www.donny-bygosh.com/
