Portraits tell the tales of exciting lives

A Pulitzer-nominated academic, a Spirit of Bermuda veteran and the founder of the Harris Matrix archaeological strata are just some of the fascinating subjects of a new portrait exhibition. 

Husband and wife team Antoine Hunt and Juliz Ritchie have joined forces for their first ‘solo’ exhibition— Biography Photography — featuring six different portraits of Bermuda’s most interesting characters. It opens tonight at Masterworks.

Each single photograph features its chosen character numerous times within the frame — each image representing a different stage of their lives. Glancing at the image, you might think it was one photograph — quite a feat of Photoshop according to Hunt.  

The idea was born from Hunt’s desire to reinvent photographic ‘masking’ — which he used to do in a darkroom — by using modern tools.

The image of the late, great academic author of over 100 titles, Dr James Martin, for instance, shows him on Agar’s Island sitting near a stack of books — he was one of the world’s most prolific authors. 

In the same image, he is seen in the distance taking photographs of roses in the rose garden — something he loved to do. 

And, ever the eccentric, there is another shot of him is dressed in a suit and house coat appearing to toast his previous or future self. 

Hunt said of Dr Martin, who died last year just off his home island Agar’s: “He was one of the first ones we did. I was playing around with the idea of the multiple portraits and when we decided to ask him and he was up for it — he was an adventurer. 

“The stack of books reflects that he was a prolific author. He had a mind like a steel trap he didn’t forget a thing. In the middle there is a portrait of him in stone — that was when they were first building on the island. In another image he is toasting himself  — he is a bit of an eccentric. 

“He is playing around in the far background  — we have him in his shorts and all sorts of colours taking pictures of roses which reflects his playful nature. 

“The chair in the background was given to him by Oxford University (where he made the biggest monetary donation of any individual). 

“He saw the picture and he loved it. We didn’t, unfortunately get time to do it  before he died but he wanted a print to have in the house. 

“This shoot alone took about five hours of dressing and putting things together and he was fascinated with the process.”

Another to be featured is Alan Burland of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation. He is pictured carrying out various chores on the deck of the Spirit of Bermuda, which is pictured inside a bottle like a decoration. 

“Alan is such a cool guy it was easy to work with him and settle on this. 

Juliz was fascinated with putting the bottle on the beach. He is steering the boat, he is dressed up like a dread pirate in the hatch, doing general things around the boat…”

Part proceeds from this particular photo, along with ten limited edition prints, will go towards the Sloop Foundation.

Hunt and Ritchie have worked together on artistic projects before, most notably in film, but this is a first for their own art exhibition. Asked what it was like to work with his spouse on such a project, Hunt joked: “Harrowing”. 

“The way we work together, we bounce ideas off of each other and keep refining them. 

They usually they work together, we figure out how to execute it, and then I execute it. Juliz is on the shoot doing the styling. I am the technical creative she is the creative. We argue, absolutely! But we usually come a centre.”

Ritchie added: “Everything initiates with a thought or vision that moves me, leads to an exploration, and the artistic output is the outcome of these sparks of thoughts rendering itself to a final ‘text’, authentic ‘art object’. The initial concept drives the process, determines the path, medium and the look.” 

The Biography Photography exhibition opens at Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art tonight from 5:30pm to 7pm and runs through April 9.