Stuart Redler: Nocturnal London

A surprising and different view of many of London's classical landmarks. Stuart Redler, with his unique perspective, captures details of the city which are not obvious to the casual observer. Illuminated sights of London become magical and nostalgic.

Stuart Redler is renowned for photographs of usually sunny, bright places, with strong light producing high contrasts. Thus, a La Mancha Bull iconic Spanish sign stands out from the light, dry Andalusian landscape. Very seldom, Stuart has turned his camera to cold, undefined light.

However, this new body of works reveals a complete departure in his works. Nocturnal London takes no less than a challenging subject, a city endlessly photographed and seen by many of its citizens daily. As in his Rajasthan works, Redler manages to surprise the viewer and make him re-visit the obvious but with a completely different and unexpected take.

The immensity of St Paul's Cathedral, captured from the south bank, becomes almost a miniature maquette. Lights on the trees appear as millions of surrounding bright stars offering a magical view. Westminster Abbey is perceived between tree branches that wrap her like precious lacework whilst a solitary and deserted Westminster Bridge is lit by a moon-like Big Ben.

Iconic images of London, such as the Underground sign, the London Eye, the Albert Bridge and Nelson's Column are stripped off of their familiarity and attain a seductive, mysterious aura.

Other unknown and unperceived parts of the city - statues, pillars, windows, trees, doors, ironwork and hidden architectural elements - surprise the observer animating him/her to discover their location. Thus, we become more aware of attractive details of the city which we have never stopped to appreciate.

The modern is also present alongside the classical Victorian monuments. Four trees emerge on a legged square cement platform, as a floating garden; an entangled ironwork sculpture swirls with rhythm; a circular underground sign opposes a geometric rectangular grid of modernist windows.

Stuart Redler started his career in advertising, but now specialises in fine art photography. He has received many awards, including six from the Association of Photographers and from Graphis, PDN and Communication Arts among others. His works are also held in numerous private collections, as well as in permanent collections such as the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.