Pogus Caesar

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Dr.

Pogus Caesar
Born1953
St. Kitts, West Indies
NationalitySt. Kitts and Nevis
Alma materDoctorate
Known forPhotography and curation
Notable work"Muzik Kinda Sweet"
StylePointillism

Dr. Pogus Caesar (born 1953)[1] is a British artist, archivist, author, curator, television producer and director. He was born in St Kitts, West Indies, and grew up in Birmingham, England.

Early life

Pogus Caesar was born on the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts. At an early age, came to Birmingham in Britain. He took up painting seriously in his early 20s. Caesar developed his own variation of Pointillism.[2]

Career

During the early 1980s, Caesar was appointed director of the West Midlands Minority Arts Service. He was the first chairman of Birmingham International Film & Television Festival.[3] For the Arts Council of Great Britain he curated with Lubaina Himid and contributed to exhibitions by Black artists, including Into the Open (1984) and Caribbean Expressions in Britain (1986). In the late 1980s, Caesar began working in British television – originally as a journalist on Channel 4's Black on Black, then as Series Producer, Director and Series Editor of entertainment, sport and multicultural programmes for Central Television, Carlton Television and BBC. Radio programmes include Mr & Mrs Smith BRMB Radio and The Windrush E. Smith Show, BBC West Midlands. In 1993 Caesar founded a production company, Windrush Productions. In 1995 Caesar was responsible for Carlton Television's multi cultural output - programmes including Respect, Drumbeat and the award-winning multicultural series Xpress. In 1995 Caesar was awarded the 'Prix Circom Regionale' for series producing and directing the Central Television series Xpress.

As a photographer and artist, Caesar has worked in Spain, India, South America, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, Albania, and Jamaica, documenting diverse communities. Caesar's artwork and photographs have been acquired by the U.S National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), National Portrait Gallery,[4] Mappin Art Gallery in Sheffield, Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, and represent important visual documents recording key figures in black British history.

He was presented with the Westmore Ezekiel Award in 2010 by Birmingham Black International Film Festival for his contribution to British television. Caesar's first publication, Muzik Kinda Sweet, is a photography book featuring black musicians including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Stevie Wonder and Grace Jones. The foreword for the book was written by Paul Gilroy and it was published by OOM Gallery Archive in 2010. Caesar's second book, Sparkbrook Pride (2011), consists of 70 black-and-white photos of residents of Sparkbrook. The book has a foreword written by Benjamin Zephaniah and an introduction by Paris-based photographer Nigel Dickinson. The limited edition photobook Handsworth Riots 1985, documenting the 1985 Handsworth riots in the Handsworth district of Birmingham was published in 2020.

In 2015, Caesar's photograph documenting the Handsworth riots of 1985 was presented by the Victoria & Albert Museum at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Caesar was featured in Jacqui MacDonald's book Portraits of Black Achievement: composing successful careers' (Lifetime Careers Ltd, 2001). The book included extended interviews with 70 black achievers, describing what it means to be black in Britain today.

In 2022, Caesar was named in CasildART's list of the top six Black British photographers, including Charlie Phillips, Armet Francis, Neil Kenlock and James Barnor.[5] Caesar also became a director of the Positive View Foundation. The charity supports deprived 16–25 year olds living in challenging conditions or whose upbringing led them to negative consequences, both for themselves and others amongst their community. In 2018 he was awarded a Honorary Doctorate by Birmingham City University for his outstanding contribution to the visual arts. In 2023 BCU appointed Caesar as Visiting Professor, Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment

DACS UK and ARS (Artist Rights Society) New York represent Pogus Caesar's extensive photographic and film archives.

Exhibitions

Throughout his career, Caesar has provided support and development for a range of educational and cultural initiatives regionally, nationally and internationally.

Television production credits

  • Black On Black, Channel 4, 1985–1986 Multi-cultural current affairs/entertainment series. Line Producer
  • Here & Now, Central Television, 1986–1989. Multi-cultural series, featuring Lenny Henry, Maya Angelou, Nigel Benn, Craig Charles, Omar Sharif, Carmen Munroe, James Baldwin. Presenter and Director
  • One World, Central Television. 1990–91. Multi-cultural series, featuring Al Sharpton, MC Hammer. Interviewer and Director
  • I'm Black in Britain, Central Television, 1993; 30-minute documentary investigating racism in Britain. Interviewees include John Tyndall of National Front. Interviewer and Director
  • Designer Babies, Central Television, 1993. 30-minute documentary on Vitro Fertilization. Interviewees included Patrick Steptoe CBE and Professor Robert Winston. Co-Producer and Interviewer
  • The Cook Report, Central Television, 1994. 30-minute current affairs programme. Investigative Reporter
  • An Eye on X, Windrush Productions for Carlton Television/ACGB 1995. Short film on micro sculptor Willard Wigan. Producer and Director
  • Xpress, Windrush Productions for Carlton Television 1995 14 X 30-minute entertainment series featuring Sharron Davies, Derek Redmond, Mark Morrison, China Black, Rozalla, Ranking Roger of The Beat. Series Producer and Director
  • Edwin Starr: Agent 00 Soul, Windrush Productions for Carlton Television 1995. Documentary on American soul singer Edwin Starr. Producer and Director
  • Prince at The New Power Generation at the NEC, Windrush Productions for Carlton Television 1995. Short film on Prince and his band including interviews and concert footage. Producer and Director
  • Love in Kenya, Windrush Productions for Carlton Television 1995. English woman on holiday finds love and marriage with Kenyan man. Producer and Director
  • 15 Minute Meals, Windrush Productions for Carlton Television, 1995. Six chefs from around the world cook up local dishes in 15 minutes. Series Producer and Director
  • Respect, Carlton Television, 1995 – six 30-minute sports series (documentaries on heavyweight champion boxer Lennox Lewis, British rugby player Martin Offiah, Olympic athlete Judy Simpson, Aston Villa footballer Tony Daley, Olympic athlete John Regis, and disabled tennis player Diana Bowles). Series Producer and Director
  • Aaliyah Live in Amsterdam, Windrush Productions, 1995, 51-minute documentary on hip-hop superstar Aaliyah. Producer and Director
  • The A-Force, BBC TV Manchester, 1997. 6 x 60-minute entertainment series, lifestyle documentary featuring Jada Pinkett Smith, Dave Chappelle, John Singleton and Isaac Hayes in Toronto, Canada. Senior Producer and Director
  • The A-Force, BBC TV Manchester, 1997. 6 x 60-minute entertainment series, lifestyle documentary on AC Milan footballer George Weah in Italy. Senior Producer and Director
  • The A-Force, BBC TV Manchester, 1997. 6 x 60-minute entertainment series, lifestyle documentary on Liverpool footballer John Barnes. Senior Producer and Director
  • The A-Force, BBC TV Manchester, 1997. 6 x 60-minute entertainment series, Nas & The Fugees in Manchester. Senior Producer
  • Drumbeat, Carlton Television, 1999. 6 x 60-minute entertainment/current affairs series. Interviewees including Lynden David Hall, Ruby Turner, Mr Vegas. Series Editor and Presenter

References

  1. ^ "Pogus Caesar", Diaspora Artists.
  2. ^ "Diaspora-artists: View details". new.diaspora-artists.net. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b Shannon, Roger (8 May 2008). "Life through a lens with Pogus Caesar". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Pogus Caesar - Person - National Portrait Gallery". National Portrait Gallery, London. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Top Six Black British Photographers You Should Know". CasildART. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  6. ^ VIBES/Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Burning Images Exhibition, 2005.
  8. ^ * Handsworth Riots – Twenty Summers On", BBC, 28 October 2014.
  9. ^ "From Jamaica Row – Rebirth of the Bullring" Archived 29 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Photographs of the development of Birmingham's Bullring OOM Gallery/Pogus Caesar.
  10. ^ "The Art of Ideas". Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  11. ^ Pattern Recognition exhibition Archived 23 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine, The City Gallery, Leicester.
  12. ^ Haynes, Jane (12 March 2019). "Why Handsworth Riots are being revisited with giant billboards across Birmingham". Birmingham Mail.

External links

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