Introducing Robert Raynard

Over 100 artists are taking part in The Tate Staff Biennale which will take place on the last week of August on Level 5 of Tate Modern. Over the next few weeks The Rebel Magazine will be chatting to some of the Tate staff who are showing their artwork. Today it's the turn of Robert Raynard

Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I was born in Dakar (Senegal) in 1966. I grew up in a suburb north of Paris in the 1970s and the 1980s went to school to university in Paris where I did a BA in English language and culture studies. As a teenager I was interested mainly in history, culture and had a passion for international cinema, I loved French crime films with Jean Paul Bemondo, Alfred Hitchcock‘s films, also literature, I started to collect postcards too. I only took on photography as a hobby when I was in my early twenties although and this interest has grown into a passion with time."

How long have you been working at the Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "I came to live in the UK in October 1996 and first worked as a French Language Assistant in east London before taking on a job as a Visitor Assistant mainly at the then Tate Gallery I was employed by Trident Safeguards until 1999. I have been working for the Tate for 20 years, I love the diversity of works in the Tate collection, there are artworks which may appeal and sometimes surprise all kinds of visitors. One of the best shows I have seen in 20 years was definitely the Don McCullin show at Tate Britain but also Soul of A Nation and The Clock (by Christian Marclay) at Tate Modern."

What can you tell me about the work you're exhibiting in the Tate modern show? "My artwork is a photograph I took last year, in August, outside Victoria Station and it is called 1:27 p.m. — Flying Past Little Ben. I took the photograph for the purpose of displaying it in a group photography show called London Presence at Conway Hall. In the photograph time, movement and stillness are key elements, with a pigeon flying past the clock tower at 1:27 p.m only to be captured alongside the ticking of the clock and the gilded statue representing Anna Pavlova on top of the Victoria palace. All of those elements are captured in a brief moment of stillness by the photographer. Time resumed and we know that the brief stillness was replaced by movement which we can only imagine. However the statue‘s will remain paralysed it will remain kind of stoic."

How can people find out about your work - do you have a website or do Instagram? "I have got an Instagram account you will find me under the name rob.shots.with. passion however I don‘t have a website yet. I hope you will enjoy visiting my Instagram account here."

What's the best thing about working at the Tate? "The best thing about working at the Tate is the feeling of being part of a community of people, members of staff who can and want to offer our visitors the best welcome, and to introduce them to a great, sometimes unusual collection of artworks and exhibitions. We can also rely on each other and be rewarded for our skills."

The Tate Staff Biennale will take place on Level 6 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

Introducing Roman Lokati

Over 150 artists are taking part in The Tate Staff Biennale which will take place on the last week of August on Level 5 of Tate Modern. Over the next few weeks The Rebel Magazine will be chatting to some of the Tate staff who are showing their artwork. Today it's the turn of Roman Lokati.

Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I was born in Rota Cadiz, Southern Spain and studied at the School of Art in the city of Cadiz. After I continued my art education at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts where I studied the Foundation Degree in Surface Design and graduated in 2006."

How long have you been working at the Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "I have been working at the Tate for 4 years. There have been many great shows, including Juan Munoz at the Tate Modern, Anish Kapoor and Peter Doig, and perhaps the best show was the recent David Hockney exhibition as he is one of my favourite artists."

What can you tell me about the work you're exhibiting in the Tate modern show? "This is the culmination of the work I have been making over the last five years, inspired by my own and others experiences of migration to another country. Also people’s experience of travel and the current refugee crisis around the world. Three of my sculptures from the travel series: ‘Lost in the City’ were part of the exhibition entitled ‘No Turning Back: Seven Migration Moments that Changed Britain held at the Migration Museum in 2017. The 3 pieces I am exhibiting at the Tate Modern represent refugees and migrants who when observed from the side almost seem to disappear. In some way they reflect the invisibility and isolation of the refugee today, but at the same time their humanity, their contribution and their voice. With my work I want to make their stories more visible which is why these sculptures made from steel are painted in primary, bright colours."

How can people find out about your work - do you have a website or do Instagram? https://www.chrom-art.org/2014/12/15/roman-lokati-interview/ Instagram / Roman Lokati

What's the best thing about working at the Tate? "Learning more about British and International Art and the opportunity to meet many of my heroes in person. Also working with a very good team from all departments and interacting with the general public."

The Tate Staff Biennale will take place on Level 6 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

John Peter Askew launches his book 'WE' at The Photographer's Gallery

Last night I attended a launch party for a brilliant photography book by John Peter Askew. You can find out about him: here or by reading this recent article in The Guardian. The book features photos taken in Russia between 1996 and 2017.

Above: Andrew Mania with John Peter Askew

Above: Women and Children Outdoors 2009 by John Peter Askew

John's 384 page book features 164 coloured illustrations and texts by Anya Chulakov, Ian Jeffrey, Alistair Robinson, Lee Triming, and Fatos Ustek. (ISBN 978-3-7356-0543-6) You can buy the book from The Photographer's Gallery or via Kerber

Introducing Bonnie Wong Po Yi

Over 100 artists are taking part in The Tate Staff Biennale which will take place on the last week of August on Level 5 of Tate Modern. Over the next few weeks The Rebel Magazine will be chatting to some of the Tate staff who are showing their artwork. Today it's the turn of Bonnie Wong Po Yi

Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I have been in London for three years. I did illustration and photography for my undergrad at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I worked freelance for a while as an illustrator. Later, I moved on to doing a fine arts and printmaking master degree at The Royal College of Art."

How long have you been working at the Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "I have been working at Tate for three months. The best show I have seen at Tate is the Don Mccullin exhibition because I love photography, photojournalism and works that are related to politics. I also really like Tate Liverpool's permanent collection."

What can you tell me about the work you're exhibiting in the Tate modern show? "Map 1 is a screen-printed project with 10 layers printed on the same surface created over a period of a year. It is a visual diary that explores the idea of change and movement that happened geographically and occurred over time. Maps have always been a tool for me to understand my heritage. The fundamental element of the work is a vintage map from circa 1900s. The practice of using colours to show ownership in map-making was very common back then. Born in colonial Hong Kong and growing up in post-colonial Hong Kong, I have always been interested in how different maps show my hometown differently - a city could be purposefully indicated in various ways depending on who created the map and when it was made. When creating this piece, I first drew and wrote responding to the ‘factual’ information on the map. Later, I went back to add more notations on top of the previous layer every few weeks. I was having conversations with myself by intervening my old writings. It was when I had just moved to London, undergoing a period of instability, trying to get used to this new city and phase of life. My notes also reflect how my life and mental state have changed over time."

How can people find out about your work - do you have a website or do Instagram? Instagram: bonnieeewpy / my website is: here

What's the best thing about working at the Tate? "The best thing about working at the Tate is that many of my peers are also artists themselves. I get to have conversations about what we love with my colleagues every single day."

The Tate Staff Biennale will take place on Level 6 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern