Tom Pope is an emerging artist who recently graduated from the Photography in the Arts degree course at Swansea Metropolitan University, where he received a First Class Honours. The Escapades of the Higher Man is his first major solo exhibition and features a series of previously unseen works taken in Marseille in 2009.
The title of this series of photographs is taken from the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), particularly his writings regarding the notion of a super being and God’s successor as a “Higher Man”, stronger and more powerful than the average human. Pope sets out on a journey exploring this concept through various acts, ranging from the absurdly daring to the slapstick: leaping off buildings or attempting to throw and catch a bucket of water.
The combination of photography and performance is central to Pope’s practice, as is his engagement with ‘the everyday’. By combining these elements, Pope raises important questions about photographic practice and the complex relationship between reality and fiction.
In 2008 Pope won first prize in both Swansea’s Mission Gallery and Glynn Vivian Art Gallery Open Exhibitions. He is currently based in London where he is studying for an MA at the Royal College of Art.
Exhibition supported by Swansea Metropolitan University.