Floris

Jim Grover

February 5, 2016

For over a year, British photographer Jim Grover followed the professional life of a priest in his London parish. The result is an impressive photo essay, from which one picture has already earned Grover first place in a photo competition.
Jim Grover’s Of Things Not Seen project, is the London photographer’s first long-term study. For over a year, he followed Sri Lankan priest Kit Gunasekera around while he worked in his Church of England parish in Clapham, South London.

The resulting photo essay is an impressive, intense social portrait of a clergyman is his function as minister and pillar of his parish. With both his Leica M Monochroms (Typ 246 and the previous model), Grover documented his protagonist’s professional daily life – working in the church, making home and hospital visits, and on the streets. The outcome was a total of over ten thousand photos. Floris, the picture presented here, where the priest is offering the sacrament of holy communion to a sick member of his parish, is one of them.

Grover submitted the picture to the 2015 Faith Through a Lens competition and won first prize. The jury, chaired by the renowned photojournalist Don McCullin, explained its decision as follows: “This impressive image is an exceptional portrayal of faith in action. (…) The judges praised the fantastic use of lighting, the powerful impact and the composition, which encapsulates a moment of faith in the relationship between these two people.”

Curated by Katy Barron, a selection of 40 pictures from the project will be on display at the gallery@oxotowers in London, from March 3 to 20, 2016.

Jim Grover+-

After a long and successful international business career, Grover has dedicated the last five years to photography. Since then his pictures have received a number of awards. His picture Floris earned him the first prize in the 2015 Faith Through a Lens competition. Jim Grover lives in Clapham, South London. More