Jon Tonks Explained

Jon Tonks (born 1981)^[1] is a British documentary photographer. He was awarded the Royal Photographic Society's Vic Odden Award in 2014 for his book Empire.^[2]

Early life and education

Tonks was born in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands. He studied design then worked as a local newspaper photographer. Later he earned an MA in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography from London College of Communication.^{[1] [3] [4]}

Life and work

Tonks' first book Empire (2014) is about four small far-flung territories that remain under British rule: Tristan da Cunha, Ascension Island, Saint Helena, and the Falkland Islands.^[3] Beginning in 2007, Tonks spent five years working on the project and travelled around 50,000 miles; he "spent a month in each territory, and over a month at sea getting to them". Sean O'Hagan, reviewing the book in The Observer, wrote that "Tonk mixes portraiture and documentary to show how important post-colonial tradition is to the survival of these communities and how their adherence to a kind of old-fashioned Britishness can make them seem culturally as well as geographically isolated in our increasingly globalised world." An accompanying text mixes historical fact and anecdote.^[5]

Publications

• Empire. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2014. Photographs and text. Edition of 1000 copies. .^[6]
  • Second edition. Dewi Lewis, 2014. .
• The Men Who Would Be King. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2021. With Christopher Lord. .^[7]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• Empire, Mac, Birmingham, 2014; Ffotogallery, Cardiff, 2015; Impressions Gallery, Bradford, September–December 2015^{[8] [9]}

Other exhibitions

• Cargo, Format International Photography Festival, Derby, 2017^[10]

Awards

• 2014: Vic Odden Award, Royal Photographic Society, Bath, UK^[2]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Jon Tonks - Biography . 2024-10-20 . The Hyman Collection . en.
2. Web site: Vic Odden . 2024-10-16 . Royal Photographic Society . en-GB.
3. News: Houghton . Max . 2015-09-14 . Island life: the last outposts of the British Empire . 2024-10-20 . The Telegraph . en-GB . 0307-1235.
4. Web site: Information & Contact . 2024-10-21 . Jon Tonks . en.
5. News: O'Hagan . Sean . 2013-12-29 . Empire by Jon Tonks – review . 2024-10-20 . The Observer . en-GB . 0029-7712.
6. Web site: Padley . Gemma . Images from the faded and forgotten last outposts of the British Empire. 2024-10-20 . British Journal of Photography . en-GB.
7. News: 2021-11-27 . ‘There was a prophecy I would come’: the western men who think they are South Pacific kings . 2024-10-21 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
8. Web site: Padley . Gemma . Photography - what's on. 2024-10-20 . British Journal of Photography . en-GB.
9. Web site: Jon Tonks: Empire . 2024-10-20 . Impressions Gallery . en.
10. Web site: Seymour . Tom . On show at Format – Jon Tonks' Cargo. 2024-10-20 . British Journal of Photography . en-GB.