Photographers We Love: Thom Pierce

INTERVIEWED BY Lindi Brownell Meiring IMAGES Thom Pierce

Award-winning British photographer Thom Pierce, who currently resides in Cape Town, is known for his striking photographs of people across Southern Africa, a style he refers to as documentary portraiture.  

His work, some of which forms part of the permanent collection of the South African National Gallery, is currently being exhibited in Johannesburg’s Circa Gallery. We caught up with Thom to find out more about his mesmerising new series.

How did The Horsemen of Semonkong project come about? What inspired you to undertake this project?

In 2015 I produced a body of work called The Price of Gold. It was a human rights project dealing with issues of lung disease in the South African gold mines. I had to journey through Lesotho to find a group of sick miners and their widows, all of whom were named in the class action application.

Travelling through the mountains of Lesotho, I was blown away by the beauty of the landscape and the difference between life just over the border from South Africa. I promised myself that I would come back and create a body of work about the country and the unique lifestyle up in the mountains.

This body of work is extremely emotive and powerful. How would you describe this collection of photographs?

I refer to my work as documentary portraiture. Whilst simply the presence of the photographer immediately changes any situation, the aim is to create a body of work that is as true to the situation as possible. The landscape is so dramatic and the people, blankets, balaclavas and horses all combine to produce imagery that is quietly powerful.

I hope that each photograph provides a warmth of human connection from the viewer towards the subject but also communicates the details of a deeper story that cannot possibly be conveyed in these photographs alone.

You manage to capture so much in the expressions and demeanours of the people you photograph. Do people’s stories, backgrounds and personalities influence the way you shoot portraits in any way?

My aim is not to romanticise the lives of the people that I photograph, nor is it to demean or degrade in any way. The intention of the project is everything and it is very important for me that the people I am photographing understand my intentions and are happy to be part of the project.

People’s individual personalities are really important and sometimes you have only a very short period of time to build a connection. Usually for me it is non-verbal or through a translator, so it can be tricky, but if you approach the situation in an open and friendly way, you often come out with something really special.

What was the highlight of making The Horsemen of Semonkong series?

The highlight of making this series was probably walking around in the tranquility of the Lesotho mountains for eight days. There was very little cellphone reception and no traffic. Every now and then someone would pass by and we would tell them about the project and possibly take a photograph. It was a very slow and calm process.

Are you working on any new projects?

I am working on a couple of projects at the moment. I am off to the Eastern Cape next week to continue with the silicosis project, looking at it from the point of view of the women as carers of the miners. I am also working on a long-term project of large scale images that deal with religion around southern Africa.

The Horsemen of Semonkong is on exhibition from 13 October to 12 November 2016 at Everard Read’s Circa Gallery at 2 Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg. For more information, contact [email protected]. For a look at the full series, visit thompierce.com or follow Thom on Instagram.