Biog & Contact
Born in Maidstone, England, my early impressions were influenced by Dino, a collie. He guarded my pram and later, when I could crawl, I went to his bed in the corner and stayed with him there. I'm told I spoke to Dino, and other animals and birds, from the age of 18 months onwards. Human talk didn't come so easy, and I was 3 years old before I stuttered my first words to people. My folks figured that since I couldn't talk then maybe I could express myself through photography. From then onwards, non verbal communication became my focus.
I left secondary school aged 16 and, unable to settle into regular employment, set off hitch hiking. I’ve since wandered through over 80 countries, documenting my experiences using a variety of means including pinhole photography, film, paint, and words.
In 1999 I founded the Medway art collective ‘Dilute To Taste’ and in 2002 created ‘Urban Fox Press’ with Bill Lewis and Billy Childish, which published over 50 books by Medway creatives. From 2004 to 2006 I organized the Medway Independent Arts Festival with Zara Carpenter. In 2006 I founded Hakim & Slater Press, which continues to this day.
I began painting in 2021 and had my first exhibition in New York State in May 2022.
I've completed over 200 marathons and in 2016 and 2017 won the Canadian 24 hour Men’s Running Championships. I retired from competition in 2017 after reasoning that such victories don't do goods things for my personality, and certainly aren't worth what they cost.
My artwork is created either whilst in nature, or having just returned from it. Extended periods in the natural world seem to aid the flow of spirits in and ego out, and reveal a sense of obligation to portray the truth of the matter. The straight lines of city life lose their power.
At least 25% of all profits I make through my art is donated to charities. In the past they've included animal sanctuaries, the IRSSS, and initiatives for the homeless, children, and refugees.
Selected Publications
The Arts in Medway, V1 - 2004 - ISBN0954737407
A Velvet Silence - 2006 - ISBN1905522118
England! England! - 2006 - ISBN1905522169
Pinhole Dreams - 2007 - ISBN1905522223
At The Villa Melzi - 2008 - ISBN1905522290
Carnet de Stenope, V1, Morocco - 2009 - ISBN1905522320
Pinhole & Solargraph Images of the River Medway - 2011 - ISBN1905522378
Otherness - 2012 - ISBN1905522401
Deconstruct Until Complete - 2013 - ISBN190552238X
The Leporello Series - 2013
Visual Poems from the White Hour - 2015
A Season in High Park - 2021 - ISBN9781034603290
Zen World Cuisine - 2021 - ISBN9781006981760
Selected Media Commentary
Reviews of the 5 part 'Carnet de Stenope' series.
“...startling photographic travelogues...quite different from most travel books you'll find...oddly beautiful, otherworldly images, wonderfully produced in a cut-out scrapbook style...the images are inviting enough, but it was the prose that had me hooked from the beginning. Dave is a terrific writer, and his thoughtful narrative moves at a very engaging pace.”
Amateur Photographer Magazine, UK
“The 'Carnets' lively design is enhanced with ephermera such as tickets, receipts and boarding passes, which are as much a part of the experience of travelling as the places seen and the people met. Wise records his journey in observations that provide a strong sense of place. Both the structure of the text and the design and illustration of the book make for a refreshing take on travelogue.”
AG - The Internationl Journal of Photographic Art & Practice
Amateur Photographer Magazine, UK
AG - The Internationl Journal of Photographic Art & Practice
Reviews of 'A Velvet Silence'.
“During the 1880's archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie edcided to document his Egyptian excavations using pinhole photography, so that the movement of his workers would be reduced to a wispy blur, due to the long exposures. Dave decided to undertake a centenary celebration of Petrie's work by following in his foosteps. The journey resulted in more than 600 photos, a selection of which appear in this photo journal. From donkeys and camels to pyrmaids and palms, the shots have the same brutal, raw energy as the accompanying text...The energy that comes from reducing a scene or experience to its raw bones is captivating, and Dave Wise has it down to an art!”
Black & White Photography Magazine
"A beautifully produced book, full of excellent camera obscura photographs, taken and developed by Dave en route which transport the reader back a hundred years...the narrative yields some illuminating concepts and impressions. The end papers are nicely produced from antique printing plates of an Arabic poem...one cannot fail to feel the passion of Dave's work, which manifests itself in every photographic plate. I found this truly gives another dimension to those of us who love and have journeyed into Egypt, whether as Egyptologist, holidaymaker, or armchair traveller."
Ancient Egypt Magazine
Review of 'England! England!'.
"Beautiful pinhole pictures of the South of England, reproduced well and bound in a wonderfully tactile jacket...an excellent and thought provoking book, laced with sadness and longing."
Black & White Photography Magazine
Review of 'At The Villa Melzi'.
"...a personal journey with a basic pinhole camera, following in Henry Fox Talbot's footsteps to Lake Como in Italy. 5/5."
Amateur Photographer Magazine
Review of 'The Seeker'.
“The Seeker is a travel novel, in equal parts travelogue, philosophical tract, and political commentary. The physical aspect of Wise's trek from Cairo to Jerusalem, through the Sinai wilderness, is conducted against the background of the region's inescapable political turmoil. Unafraid to voice his own opinions, Wise will no doubt offend many with his strong views, yet his perspective provides a refreshing alternative to the dogma which emanates from so many commentators on either side of this tragic equation. 4/5"
Adventure Travel Magazine
Find me on social media;
https://www.instagram.com/davewisev2/
Support
I'm available for commissions and art projects, please email your proposals. If you'd like to further support what I do with a donation you can use a bank transfer, or this Paypal link. Thank you.
