David Lurie
Encyclopedia
David Lurie is a documentary photographer living and working in Cape Town, South Africa and London
, UK.
Born in Cape Town, David Lurie studied economics, politics and philosophy and then taught philosophy at the University of Cape Town
. From 1980 to 1985 he undertook research in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics
, after which he worked as a consultant-economist in London.
Self taught in photography, Lurie began undertaking documentary projects on a part time basis in 1990, and full time in 1995 following the publication of his first book Life in the Liberated Zone (Corner House Books, UK).
He has worked closely with Side Photography Gallery (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), which commissioned several of his South African exhibitions as well as ‘Struggling to Share the Promised Land’ on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
. In 1993 the Getty Museum (Los Angeles) commissioned the exhibition ‘South Africa’s Black Middle-Class’.
In June 2010 two exhibitions by David Lurie opened in Cape Town:
Offside: Cape Town 2010 at the AVA Gallery, Cape Town, focused on the peripheries of Cape Town society at a time when all eyes were focused on the World Cup. The selection of photographs explored the irony and inherent contradictions promulgated by the media that has turned a blind eye to the realities of poverty, mass inequality and xenophobia in order to line the pockets of the chosen few.
The Right To Refuge, with supporting text by Professor Steven Robins and poetry by Patricia Schonstein, was exhibited at the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.
Cape Town Fringe: Manenberg Avenue is where it’s Happening, Cape Town: Double Storey, 2004
Images of Table Mountain, Cape Town: Bell-Roberts, 2006
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK.
Born in Cape Town, David Lurie studied economics, politics and philosophy and then taught philosophy at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
. From 1980 to 1985 he undertook research in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, after which he worked as a consultant-economist in London.
Self taught in photography, Lurie began undertaking documentary projects on a part time basis in 1990, and full time in 1995 following the publication of his first book Life in the Liberated Zone (Corner House Books, UK).
Exhibitions
David Lurie has exhibited in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East.He has worked closely with Side Photography Gallery (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), which commissioned several of his South African exhibitions as well as ‘Struggling to Share the Promised Land’ on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
. In 1993 the Getty Museum (Los Angeles) commissioned the exhibition ‘South Africa’s Black Middle-Class’.
In June 2010 two exhibitions by David Lurie opened in Cape Town:
Offside: Cape Town 2010 at the AVA Gallery, Cape Town, focused on the peripheries of Cape Town society at a time when all eyes were focused on the World Cup. The selection of photographs explored the irony and inherent contradictions promulgated by the media that has turned a blind eye to the realities of poverty, mass inequality and xenophobia in order to line the pockets of the chosen few.
The Right To Refuge, with supporting text by Professor Steven Robins and poetry by Patricia Schonstein, was exhibited at the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.
Awards
David Lurie is the recipient of awards including Pictures of the Year International; the World Understanding Award for Cape Town Fringe: Manenberg Avenue is where it’s Happening; Nikon (UK); Ilford Pro Photo (SA); and Arts Council of Great Britain Award Grants.Publications
For the past 10 years, David Lurie has collaborated with the London based designer Richard Wilding on the editing and production of his books and exhibitions.Published books
Life in the Liberated Zone, Manchester: Cornerhouse Books, 1994Cape Town Fringe: Manenberg Avenue is where it’s Happening, Cape Town: Double Storey, 2004
Images of Table Mountain, Cape Town: Bell-Roberts, 2006