It's no surprise to hear that Philip Volkers grew up in Glastonbury, or that his house is covered in skulls and his inspirations are based on death and mortality.
Volkers work very loudly and clearly speaks for itself. An eclectic blend of the occult and soul searching self expression, his style is like a surreal dream, occasionally shocking, whilst peeling back the layers of a subject to reveal its true self.
The edgy photographer studied philosophy and comparative studies at London's SOAS, where he got the opportunity to indulge his fascination of the occult, and research subjects such as shamanism, and pinnacle figures like Alestair Crowley, an influential English occultist, who in the early 1900's was known as 'the most evil man in the world.' Crowley, who impacted the work of such musicians as Led Zeplin and the Beatles, has also had a strong effect in shaping Volkers style.
The other side of Volkers is based on another passion of his, extreme skiing. Throughout the winter months, he lives in France shooting extreme sports and putting equipment through its paces for Olympus. In contrast, during the summer months Volkers documents all the major music festivals such as Burning Man and Glastonbury.
Jeff Vickers played a key part in mentoring Volkers after he received the foundational 'Jeff Vickers Genix Bursary' for aspiring young talent. Volkers maintains that in his profession, 'It is very important to be believed in.'
Not long after his studies at SOAS, Volkers encountered a chance meeting with Robert Fairer, who he showed some pictures of a recent trip to India. This led to an apprenticeship as first assistant to the renowned Fairer, and a very interesting six seasons including work for American Vogue and shooting Marilyn Manson's wedding.
Costume and hat maker Barbara Keal, who has a reputation for her fantastical creations such as enormous hares and the odd minotaur, said on a recent shoot with Volkers, 'Enthusiastic and persistent man that he is, Philip, models, makeup artists and myself fairly ran up Malling Hill, and he took his pictures into the sinking sun. Put quite simply, the talented Philip Volkers asked to borrow some hats, found some gorgeous girls and then we all went to the woods, and the results, stunning. He got too good a deal on a wolf hat for himself, but did he get the animal right?'
Big Eye Gallery Partners, Garry Wade and Amnon Bar-Tur, who recently showed some of Philip's work at the Affordable Art Fair in New York, commented that, 'Philip's work was received exceptionally well, people were drawn towards his collection which sold swiftly. His work seemed to also have an impact internationally.' Amongst the pieces sold were striking images of subjects wearing head pieces constructed from unusual materials such as apples. Head pieces are another of Philip's signature themes.
Big Eye Gallery, Volker's sole representatives in the US, is a collaboration between Garry Wade and Amnon Bar-Tur, and a platform for collectors, photographers and fine art alike. Bar-Tur is known, amongst other things, as being the co-founder of C2Media (Chroma Copy), which grew to be a leading digital imaging company in the US. With a strong hold of seven offices in the US and Canada employing over four hundred professionals, Bar-Tur and his partner sold the company in 2009.
Garry Wade, who is widely recognised for his photography, originally hales from northern England. His work covers locations and lifestyles amongst many other subjects, encompassing a number of prominent clients including the New York Times magazine and US News.
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