FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2021
From The Getty to Ava DuVernay, the artwork of John Simmons is being lauded throughout LA
Emmy Award-Winning Cinematographer & Photographer John Simmons Takes Over Los Angeles with Multiple Art & Photography Exhibits
Los Angeles, CA – Emmy-winning cinematographer, photographer, artist, and professor John Simmons takes over Los Angeles with several photography exhibitions, including a major exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum and solo exhibitions at The Jean Deleage Gallery at CASA 0101 and Aziz Gallery.
Known for his decades-long career photographing the multiplicity of Black American life from the 1960s to the present, Simmons’ current exhibitions throughout Los Angeles as well as his upcoming work throughout California, speak to the enduring impact and cultural relevance of his work today. Primarily through striking black-and-white photographs, Simmons captures everything from daily life in Chicago to Civil Rights demonstrations to exhilarating portraits of the likes of Nina Simone, Angela Davis, and many others.
“As a filmmaker who’s admired him and been inspired by him for decades now, it’s been a real thrill to watch [Simmons’] work through the decades and through these images.” – Ava DuVernay, speaking at the exhibition, Chronicles of Culture, at Aziz Gallery.
Please find more information about his ongoing and recent exhibitions below:
J. Paul Getty Museum
In Focus: Protest is a major exhibition at the Getty Center, showcasing “images made during periods of social struggle in the United States highlights the myriad roles protest photographs play in shaping our understanding of American life.” Featuring photographs by Simmons during the 1960s, these photographs highlight the role of protest photography in American society during a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
On his work being on display at the Getty, Simmons says, “It feels good to have the work recognized and have it in a place where it will be for hundreds of years, touching people long after I’m gone.”
June 29, – Oct. 10, 2021
The Jean Deleage Gallery at CASA 0101
Capturing Beauty: The Artwork and Photography of John Simmons is an exhibition of never-before-seen multi-layered paper collage cartographies and photography. From the gallery: “Simmons’s paper collage cartographies are mappings that zoom in and out of political and social narratives, the harsh reality and struggles of Black American history without losing a sense of hope.”
June 5 – October 31, 2021
Aziz Gallery
Chronicles of Culture recently concluded a highly attended exhibition that was extended twice by popular demand and visited by the likes of cultural figures such as Ava DuVernay. The work presented was also accompanied by other artists across the African diaspora.
June 18 – August 8, 2021
About John Simmons
John Simmons is a multi-talented artist whose work has spanned across decades. Born in Chicago and coming of age during the Civil Rights Era, Simmons’ photography started at the peak of political and racial tension of the 1960s, mentored by a well known Chicago Civil Rights photographer, Bobby Sengstacke.
After completing an undergraduate degree from Fisk University in art and photography, Simmons went on to study cinematography at the University of Southern California, and then to move to LA, where he currently lives.
In 2004, Simmons was inducted into the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and now serves as Vice President and as co-chair of the ASC Vision Committee. He is also on the Board of Governors of the Television Academy, working to increase diversity on-set, and taught at UCLA for 26 years before leaving to focus on his photography.
Simmons has also filmed music videos and commercials for artists such as Stevie Wonder, Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg and many more. As a filmmaker, Simmons has collaborated with industry giants such as Spike Lee and Debbie Allen, and has served as the Director of Photography for more than 25 television series. Simmons earned an Emmy for his work on Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn.
Outside of the aforementioned exhibits, his photographs are also held at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Center for Creative Photography, the David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland, and Harvard University, where they exhibited in “Time is Now: Photography and Social Change in James Baldwin’s America” at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. His work is also in the permanent collection of the ASC.
Website: www.johnsimmonsasc.com
Instagram: @johnsimmonsasc
