“I’ve never defined myself as a photographer. I make art,” explains Nick Waplington, who became the first artist to feature photographic work at Tate Britain’s main space.
Waplington’s career has been full of giant leaps forward: the success of his fanzine Playing with Fire saw him interviewing Nick Cave in a Victoria pub aged just 13; and massive sidesteps: he swapped Israeli settler communities in the West Bank for the world of high fashion to shoot Alexander’s McQueen’s final 2009 show, Horn of Plenty, which became Working Process at Tate Britain.
But Waplington has also taken steps in the wrong direction: documenting rave culture for his book, Safety in Numbers he embraced the drugs that powered the scene through the late ‘80s into the early ‘90s. “I wish I hadn’t done that,” Waplington reflects. “It was a waste of my time really. But I was lucky enough to realise that and stop and give it up before it got to me. I realised I was much happier being able to have a pint of lager and watch the football.”
In this short film, Huck caught up with Waplington at his studio in Hackney Wick to discover the lessons from his creative journey. Read the full story in Huck’s Fiftieth Special Issue.
Latest on Huck
Nxdia: “Poems became an escape for me”
What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Egyptian-British alt-pop shapeshifter Nxdia.
Written by: Nxdia
Kathy Shorr’s splashy portraits inside limousines
The Ride of a Lifetime — Wanting to marry a love of cars and photography, Kathy Shorr worked as a limousine driver in the ’80s to use as a studio on wheels. Her new photobook explores her archive.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Lewd tales of live sex shows in ’80s Times Square
Peep Man — Before its LED-beaming modern refresh, the Manhattan plaza was a hotbed for seedy transgression. A new memoir revisits its red light district heyday.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In a world of noise, IC3PEAK are finding radicality in the quiet
Coming Home — Having once been held up as a symbol of Russian youth activism and rebellion, the experimental duo are now living in exile. Their latest album explores their new reality.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Are we steamrolling towards the apocalypse?
One second closer to midnight — While the rolling news cycle, intensifying climate crisis and rapidly advancing technology can make it feel as if the end days are upon us, newsletter columnist Emma Garland remembers that things have always been terrible, and that is a natural part of human life.
Written by: Emma Garland
Analogue Appreciation: Maria Teriaeva’s five pieces that remind her of home
From Sayan to Savoie — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. First up, the Siberian-born, Paris-based composer and synthesist.
Written by: Maria Teriaeva