SWAY, HAMPSHIRE, UK.- In 2001 Richard Billingham was nominated for the prestigious art award The Turner Prize. He is known all over the world for his intimate photographs and videos of his own family in the West Midlands, now he has turned to the New Forest landscape.

As a part of an ‘artist in residency programme’ offered by ArtSway, the contemporary visual arts gallery based in Sway in the New Forest, Richard Billingham is developing new art works based on the New Forest landscape. He is capturing emotionally intense and honest photographs at dusk and dawn in natural light using long exposures times. Photographer Richard Billingham’s career got off to a flying start, when he exhibited his photographs of his family in the West Midlands. The honest, innocent and striking images went straight to people’s hearts and are now represented in major art collections such as the Saatchi collection or Tate Gallery. He has had exhibitions around the world and was nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize in 2001 with a video featuring his father. For the last couple of years Billingham has become increasingly interested in landscape, travelling extensively around the world.

Working in the New Forest has always been a dream for Billingham. As a teenager he became interested in nature and as the New Forest is one of most beautiful and diverse areas of England, he has always wanted to spend time there. The residency at ArtSway offered him such an opportunity.

A residency at ArtSway gives artists time to make work, they receive financial support and constructive criticism from the ArtSway staff. In return ArtSway asks the artist to be involved in the community and to produce work for an exhibition. Billingham has been working with local photography students and a portfolio day has been arranged where people can show him their own work. This will take place on Saturday the 13 March 2004.