Walking through London in 2015 at 3am, the boundary between the sense of fear and the threat of danger is out of focus. The Soho of 40 years ago offered both with music, sex and alcohol. The Soho of today has much more muted colours. The danger created in 'Stolen Souls' is active and always present. It requires reaction. Running through the scenes of fluster, outrage and annoyance. One begins to ask why? Just seconds ago you were being surveyed and recorded walking down the street. In Soho you are monitored at every step you walk aside from the odd dingy alley or unseen corner. What these photos are doing is using violence to unmask the lie of the exchange. We have never given our consent to being recorded in public, what the surveillance state does is different as it does not involve the danger and violence of Conway's lens.
Text by Oliver Conway
There will be limited copies of the Stolen Souls book available from the gallery during the exhibition.
Alongside Conway's prints on show, there will be a short film documenting the working methods of the Stolen Souls project and the photographer's approach. A film by Molly Manning Walker.
About the Artist
Harry F Conway is a 25 year old photographer born and raised in London. With a background of painting graffiti, Conway would repeatedly find himself trawling the streets of the capital. On his nocturnal journeys he'd notice the fear and danger the night would bring to the capitals inhabitants. Conway was given a 12-month prison sentence for painting his tag across London in 2012. Apart from Wormwood Scrubs, other institutions he has attended include Central St. Martins and the London College of Communication, BA (hons) in Photography.
He has pursued photography just as aggressively as graffiti, offering a unique perspective on the atmosphere of London at night.