Pogus Caesar

Overview

Pogus Caesar (1953) was born in St Kitts, West Indies, and grew up in Birmingham, England. He is a conceptual artist, photographer, archivist, author, curator and television producer. Caesar began his career as a pointillist painter, only later discovering photography, and embarking on a long career photographing diverse communities worldwide. He has documented prominent figures and historical events such as the Handsworth Riots in 1985, a significant period of social unrest. He often reworks 35mm negatives into new forms, challenging the notion of religion, sex, history and identity from a Black British perspective.

Considered an important visual record of Black history, Caesar’s work has been exhibited widely and his photographs and artworks have been acquired by National Gallery of Art, Washington; National Portrait Gallery, London; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield; Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester; Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Wolverhampton; Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham. In 2004, he established OOM Gallery Archive in Birmingham, which represents his photographic archive worldwide. In 2018 Caesar was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Birmingham City University for his outstanding contribution to the visual arts. Caesar also had a successful career as a Television Director and Series Producer for Central Television, Carlton Television and BBC TV.

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