Clement Cooper was born to a British mother and Jamaican father in Manchester, England in 1965. He began documenting the local communities in Moss Side and Longsight when he was 17, after a teacher noticed his enthusiasm and presented him with a Pentax camera. His work captures the multifaceted identities and experiences of diverse communities, emphasising post-colonial African-Caribbean life, mixed-race identities, and British Muslim perspectives. His evocative black and white images, often accompanied by audio narratives, explore themes of race, faith, and cultural transitions.
Photographer Clement Cooper was born to a British mother and Jamaican father in Manchester, England in 1965. He started capturing images of the local communities in Moss Side and Longsight when he was 17, after a teacher noticed his enthusiasm and presented him with a Pentax camera. Cooper views photography as an integrated process, encompassing everything from shooting to printing the image, curating exhibitions, conducting workshops, creating musical compositions, DVD production, printing, design, and archiving. He has frequently given lectures and maintains a close partnership with his subjects, investing significant time in forging bonds. His photographs are distinguished by the use of deep chiaroscuro and rich textures.
In his debut series and the accompanying book, Presence (1988), Cooper focused on three predominantly African-Caribbean communities in Manchester: Robin Hood Pub, Moss Side; the Church of God, Moss Side; and various youth clubs throughout Manchester. Using his Pentax camera, he captured his subjects in a clean, uncluttered black and white documentary style. Cooper's photos portrayed individuals with a profound sense of pride and resilience, even amidst poverty. He aimed to create compelling images that reflected the post-colonial experiences of African-Caribbean immigrants in Thatcher-era Britain, especially following the 1981 riots. Beyond just photographing, Cooper also created stereophonic analogue recordings of the events as they occurred. The acclaim of Presence led to his receiving a grant from the Photographers’ Trust Fund, enabling him to travel to Jamaica for the first time since his youth. The renowned series Deep: People of Mixed Race 1994–96 led Cooper to areas in various port cities in the UK, such as Toxteth, Liverpool; St Pauls, Bristol; Bute Town, Cardiff; and Manchester. His objective was to delve into the complex topics surrounding mixed-race identity, capturing both images and oral narratives. Cooper revealed his personal motivation, stating, 'I hated myself and wanted to feel human again. Looking deep and hard into others gets you to that point' (Intermix interview). Cooper observed a recurring theme: most individuals he interacted with during the project identified themselves primarily by their skin colour, rather than their shared humanity, which he found deeply disheartening (Arnot 1999). By opting for natural lighting and refraining from using sophisticated lenses, the series predominantly showcased solitary subjects gazing directly at the viewer. Each individual was depicted as distinctively unique, embodying and celebrating their multifaceted identity.
Cooper's work, Primary (1997–99), showcased at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham in 1999, consisted of black and white portraits of primary school pupils. Overlooking racial distinctions, he captured the comprehensive racial diversity present in the school. His focus remained on individual portraits, aiming to depict a hopeful representation of a multicultural community literally in its infancy. Cooper avoided any sentimentalisation, aiming instead to portray children as genuine and human. None of the children were smiling; instead, they looked directly into the camera with a mature and piercing gaze that suggested both vulnerability and wisdom beyond their years. Cooper sought to make these images universally relatable, representing any child from any country. To enhance the experience, visitors could listen to an audiotape on the topic of ‘kids today’, which included views from the older generation, some of which were stereotypical criticisms about the youth's lack of values, discipline, and respect. The show was widely praised in the press, with the Birmingham Mail noting that ‘Investigating beauty, innocence and vulnerability, the exhibition invites us to seriously question our own transition from the child to the adult’ (Birmingham Mail 1999, p. 59). Cooper's collection, Sisters, funded by Arts Council England North West, foregrounded the complex subject of the Hijab, specifically from the perspective of young British Muslimah in the north west of England. Beginning the project in 2002, a significant year post the events of 9/11, Cooper began to re-evaluate his longstanding, misconceived beliefs about Islam, especially concerning women's rights within their religion. Accompanying the photographs were audio recordings of interviews with the women who participated, in which they discussed their faith. Both the visual and audio elements offered a glimpse into the different interpretations of the role of the Hijab among Britain's young Muslim women. The series debuted at Gallery Oldham in 2004 and has since been showcased extensively throughout the UK at venues including Gallery Lancashire; West Midlands Art Centre; and Birmingham Art Gallery, as well as abroad, in countries such as Germany, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. Following the Sisters series, Cooper became influenced by the teachings of the Quran. His subsequent project, Brothers, delved further into his personal exploration of the faith, this time, centring his attention on British-born Muslim boys and young men, who were on a quest to unearth and establish a fresh spiritual and political identity in the aftermath of 9/11.
Cooper has been less active as a photographer in the last decade. In the UK public domain, Clement Cooper’s work is represented in the Arts Council Collection.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Clement Cooper]
Publications related to [Clement Cooper] in the Ben Uri Library