The Messy Truth - Conversations on Photography

Chieska Fortune Smith - On Collective Learning

In this episode, Gem Fletcher talks to Chieska Fortune Smith about her journey through photography and the role of collective learning in her practice. She came to photography through Flickr, the social media platform which earnestly engaged so many of us in the medium. It was a place to upload and share your pictures, while getting feedback from other enthusiasts. Chi’s trajectory pivoted when met Brett Walker on the platform, a photographer in his own right, who mentored a group of budding photographers in London. This model of collective learning was formative for Chi and her peers and gave her the foundations of which she continues to build upon today. In our conversation we talk about the different strands of life, culture and influence which inform her work, what keeps her going and how she moves through the photo industry.  Chieska Fortune Smith is born of an African-American soul singer and a Japanese classical dancer. Her work is rooted in classical timelessness and stories with twists of obscurity and illusion. She is heavily influenced by street photography and vintage found imagery from the early 20th century. She has featured in prominent magazines and books including Sixteen Journal, Vanity Fair, and designer Simone Rocha’s debut monograph, and is currently working on a personal project that delves into her Japanese and black American roots. She is based in London. Follow Chi @chieskafortunesmith [https://www.instagram.com/chieskafortunesmith/#] & Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.com ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Between Two Worlds - On Future Storytelling with Kathy Ryan

Welcome back. To celebrate reaching the 100th episode of the podcast, I collaborated with the team at the International Centre of Photography in New York City, to host a one day salon. My motivation was to gather the community together in person and start talking about where we stand in photography. Titled, Between Two Worlds, the salon was an attempt to describe the feeling of existing in two image worlds, the one we think we know, and the new one emerging. We can sense that this new image world operates differently to the one we were socialised in—and yet it’s unclear exactly how. Before you dive in, I wanted to share what I told the audience at the salon - there are no tidy or easy answers here. In fact my expectation is that these conversations will involve a lot of complexity and contradiction, but holding space for, and embracing this chaos, is in my opinion, the urgent work that needs to be done.  In this episode I discuss the future of storytelling with Kathy Ryan For three decades, Kathy Ryan, the longtime director of photography at The New York Times Magazine, pioneered her own vision for visual storytelling. Her signature approach to masterful commissioning was rooted in unexpected cross-assignment, blurring boundaries between genres and creating space for photography to be interpretive and elaborate - a powerful voice unto itself. Kathy is an icon. She has truly had more impact than any other magazine director of photography in our time. Within photography circles, she is a genuine legend. Now, as she enters a new era of her career as an artist, curator and educator, I wanted to talk to Kathy about her new chapter and what it means to shift from the role of directing images to making them herself. I also wanted to speak to her, now she is untethered from an insitution, about her take on the future of storytelling and the role of the photographer in preserving history, challenging misinformation, and safeguarding the integrity of our shared narratives. Follow Kathy [https://www.instagram.com/kathyryan/?hl=en] & Gem [https://www.instagram.com/gemfletcher/]on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.com  Thank you to the whole team at ICP for collaborating on this project. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Between Two Worlds - On Documentary

Welcome back. To celebrate reaching the 100th episode of the podcast, I collaborated with the team at the International Centre of Photography in New York City, to host a one day salon. My motivation was to gather the community together in person and start talking about where we stand in photography. Titled, Between Two Worlds, the salon was an attempt to describe the feeling of existing in two image worlds, the one we think we know, and the new one emerging. We can sense that this new image world operates differently to the one we were socialised in—and yet it’s unclear exactly how. Before you dive in, I wanted to share what I told the audience at the salon - there are no tidy or easy answers here. In fact my expectation is that these conversations will involve a lot of complexity and contradiction, but holding space for, and embracing this chaos, is in my opinion, the urgent work that needs to be done.  In this session On Documentary, I was joined by Stacy Kranitz, Abdul Kircher, and Sinna Nasseri. Amongst the doom and upheaval that defines life in the 2020s, from political extremism and war, the dizzying technological domination and the profound shifts in perception and attention, the role of documentary photography has never felt so consequential. Amongst this chaos, the protocols of the genre are shifting and new questions are emerging: What happens to documentary photography if we no longer trust in images? How is the changing media landscape impacting how images function? And can new forms of the medium emerge that adequately express the strange, unmapable shape of our present? Projects mentioned: Stacy Kranitz - The year after a denied Abortion [https://projects.propublica.org/the-year-after-a-denied-abortion/] and the conversation about the project [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkAFYLvs94g] Abdul Kircher - Rotting From Within [https://abdulkircher.com/RfW] Sinna Nasseri - LA Fires  [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-california-fires-and-the-battle-of-malibu.html] Follow Stacy [https://www.instagram.com/stacykranitz/?hl=en], Abdul [https://www.instagram.com/kircherabdul/?hl=en], Sinna [https://www.instagram.com/strange.victory/?hl=en] & Gem [https://www.instagram.com/gemfletcher/]on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.com  Thank you to the whole team at ICP for collaborating on this project. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Between Two Worlds - On Contemporary Art

Welcome back. To celebrate reaching the 100th episode of the podcast, I collaborated with the team at the International Centre of Photography in New York City, to host a one day salon. My motivation was to gather the community together in person and start talking about where we stand in photography. Titled, Between Two Worlds [https://www.icp.org/events/icp-x-messy-truth-between-two-worlds-photographys-unfixed-future], the salon was an attempt to describe the feeling of existing in two image worlds, the one we think we know, and the new one emerging. We can sense that this new image world operates differently to the one we were socialised in—and yet it’s unclear exactly how. Before you dive in, I wanted to share what I told the audience at the salon - there are no tidy or easy answers here. In fact my expectation is that these conversations will involve a lot of complexity and contradiction, but holding space for, and embracing this chaos, is in my opinion, the urgent work that needs to be done.  In this session on contemporary art. I’m joined today by three brilliant artists, thinkers and writers - Farah Al Qasimi, Charlie Engman and Gideon Jacobs. What we understand an image to be is becoming completely reimagined. As photography slowly loses its utility value as a communication tool, does it have the opportunity to be a slippery, strange and miraculous medium of possibilities? From where we stand today, what is the work of art? And what role does photography play in those ideas and gestures? Projects mentioned: Charlie Engman - Cursed  [https://mackbooks.co.uk/products/cursed-charlie-engman?srsltid=AfmBOoqWssnXpnxHKH2AqUKKdMekxhG8WB705_3tnXCtFQhT7-HGqoRg] Farah Al Qasimi - Toy World [https://thethirdline.com/exhibitions/75-farah-al-qasimi-toy-world/] Gideon Jacobs - On Images [https://www.documentjournal.com/2025/04/thou-shalt-not-make-images-but-what-if-ai-does/] Follow https://www.instagram.com/cahlinetompkins/?hl=enFarah [https://www.instagram.com/frequentlyaskedquestion/?hl=en], Charlie [https://www.instagram.com/charlieengman/?hl=en], Gideon [https://www.instagram.com/gideon___jacobs/?hl=en]& Gem [https://www.instagram.com/gemfletcher/] on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.com  Thank you to the whole team at ICP [https://www.icp.org/] for collaborating on this project. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Between Two Worlds - On Portraiture

Welcome back. To celebrate reaching the 100th episode of the podcast, I collaborated with the team at the International Centre of Photography in New York City, to host a one day salon. My motivation was to gather the community together in person and start talking about where we stand in photography. Titled, Between Two Worlds [https://www.icp.org/events/icp-x-messy-truth-between-two-worlds-photographys-unfixed-future], the salon was an attempt to describe the feeling of existing in two image worlds, the one we think we know, and the new one emerging. We can sense that this new image world operates differently to the one we were socialised in—and yet it’s unclear exactly how. Before you dive in, I wanted to share what I told the audience at the salon - there are no tidy or easy answers here. In fact my expectation is that these conversations will involve a lot of complexity and contradiction, but holding space for, and embracing this chaos, is in my opinion, the urgent work that needs to be done.  In this session On Portraiture, I was joined by Avion Pearce, Caroline Tompkins and Alexander Coggin. Three fascinating photographers, each with their own distinct approach to imaging people, and yet their strategies overlap and intersect in different ways.  Throughout history, Portraiture has played a critical role in how we understand people and ourselves, revealing a myriad of ideas about the maker and the sitter. In an era where identities and communities are yet again being erased or reduced, Portraiture feels particularly pertinent to me right now.  Projects mentioned: Caroline Tompkins - Bedfellow [https://palmstudios.co.uk/product/bedfellow/] Avion Pearce - In The Hours Before Dawn [https://www.aviavion.com/new-gallery-89] Alexander Coggin - Micheal [https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/alexander-coggin-michael-norton-mike-photography-in-conversation-140224] Follow Caroline [https://www.instagram.com/cahlinetompkins/?hl=en], Avion [https://www.instagram.com/avionpearce/?hl=en], Alexander [https://www.instagram.com/alexandercoggin/?hl=en] & Gem [https://www.instagram.com/gemfletcher/]on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.com  Thank you to the whole team at ICP [https://www.icp.org/]for collaborating on this project. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.