Pogus Caesar

Pogus Caesar

Pogus Caesar is a British artist, television producer and director. He was born in St Kitts, West Indies, and grew up in Birmingham, England.

Contents

History

A self taught artist who took up painting seriously in his early 20s, following a series of short term employment. His early work was greatly influenced by French impressionist artist Georges-Pierre Seurat, one of the foremost exponents of the pointillist technique. Whilst Seurat built up his compositions from a multitude of tiny coloured spots, Caesar developed his own technique by using simple pens and ink; composing his paintings with thousands of tiny dots. This minutely detailed use of a fountain pen means that even the smaller works take several months to complete.

During the early 1980s Caesar became director of the West Midlands Ethnic Minority Arts Service, the organisation promoted multicultural arts regionally and nationally. Caesar was also the first Chairman of Birmingham International Film & Television Festival. For the Arts Council of Great Britain he has curated and contributed to major shows by black British artists including Into the Open (1984) and Caribbean Expressions in Britain (1986).

During the late 1980s Caesar started working in British television - originally as a journalist on Channel 4's "Black on Black" then as producer and director of entertainment, sport and multi cultural programmes for Central Television, Carlton Television and BBC. Radio programmes include "Mr & Mrs Smith" BRMB Radio and "The Windrush E. Smith Show" BBC West Midlands. In 1993 he formed his own production company, Windrush Productions. His productions include I'm Black in Britain, Respect, Drumbeat and the award winning multicultural series Xpress.

As a photographer and artist Caesar has worked in Spain, India, South America and Sweden and Denmark, South Africa, Albania and Jamaica. He has documented the artists, musicians, poets and politicians that he met and with whom he collaborated - including Stevie Wonder, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Jesse Jackson and Paul Robeson Jr. These and other images acquired by Mappin Art Gallery Sheffield, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery represent important visual documents recording key figures in black British history. Caesar's first publication 'Muzik Kinda Sweet', is a photography book featuring legendary black musicians including Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Stevie Wonder and Grace Jones. The foreword for the book was written by Paul Gilroy and published by Punch / OOM Gallery Archive in 2010.

Selected exhibitions include:

  • "Pogus Caesar Paintings" Cartwright Hall, Bradford 1985 Solo exhibition
  • "Instamatic Views of New York" National Museum of Film and Photography,

Bradford 1986 Solo exhibition

  • "Into The Open" Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield 1984, (As Curator/Exhibitor) Group exhibition
  • "Caribbean Expressions In Britain" The Leicestershire Museum and Art Gallery 1986 Central Museum and Art Gallery, Northampton 1986 Cartwright Hall, Bradford 1987 (As Curator/Exhibitor) Group exhibition
  • "Break In The Seal" Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry 1988 Joint exhibition
  • "Sharp Voices, Still Lives" Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 1990 Group exhibition
  • "Vibes: The Roots of Urban Music" Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry 2004 / Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery 2005 Group exhibition
  • "Burning Images - Revolution Through The Lens" The Drum, Birmingham 2005 Group exhibition
  • "Handsworth Riots - Twenty Summers On" OOM Gallery / BBC Mailbox Birmingham 2005 Solo exhibition
  • "Muzik Kinda Sweet - Photographs 1985 - 2009" OOM Gallery Birmingham]2005 Solo exhibition
  • "From Jamaica Row - Rebirth of the Bullring" OOM Gallery Birmingham 2006 Solo exhibition
  • "Religion, Slavery and Diaspora" Horniman Museum & Garden London 2007 Group exhibition
  • "Trespassers Will Be Shot - Survivors Will Be Shot Again - Images of Joburg & Capetown" Friction Arts Birmingham 2007 Solo exhibition
  • "The Art of Ideas, Birmingham, UK 2008 Group exhibition
  • "That Beautiful Thing" Three White Walls Gallery Birmingham 2008 Solo exhibition
  • "From Jamaica Row - Rebirth of the Bullring" Kinetic AIU Birmingham 2008 - 09 Solo exhibition
  • 'Muzik Kinda Sweet - Photographs 1985 - 2009" Fazeley Studios Birmingham 2009 Solo exhibition
  • "Pattern Recognition" The City Gallery Leicester 2009 Group exhibition
  • "Participation - The film and workshop movement 1979 - 1991" VIVID Birmingham Exhibition and archive project 2009

Throughout the years Pogus Caesar has provided support and development for a host of educational and cultural initiatives throughout the city of Birmingham and The Midlands regions.

Caesar's photographs and extensive archives documenting Birmingham Black History is held in Birmingham Central Library Archives, Digital Handsworth and Connecting Histories. He has exhibited widely, his work held in public and private collections in the United Kingdom, Europe and USA. OOM Gallery a Birmingham based gallery represents Caesar's work worldwide. Their archives include Caesar's extensive photographic record of the Handsworth riots of 1985 and the redevelopment of the Birmingham Bull Ring 2000 - 2003. OOM Gallery also showcases limited edition photomontages, films and organises contemporary exhibitions. Caesar has lectured on media, photography and art related issues at Birmingham University and Wolverhampton University.

Images from OOM Gallery Archives have been used by BBC TV, Carlton TV, Macmillan Publishers, Outside Left Magazine, University of Warwick, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Wolverhampton University, Digital Handsworth, Birmingham Central Library, The History Channel, Connecting Histories, Whats On Magazine, Fused Magazine, Teachers TV, The Otolith Group, Birmingham City Archives, Sunday Mercury, Dollee.com IOnOne Magazine. FACT, Punch Records Liverpool University Press

Television

As presenter

  • Here & Now (Central Television 1985-1989)
  • I'm Black In Britain (Central Television 1993) - also Producer. 30 min documentary investigating racism in Britain.
  • "Drumbeat" (Carlton Television) 1999 - also Series Editor. 6x60 min entertainment/current affairs series.

As series editor

  • Drumbeat (Carlton Television 1999) - also Series Editor. 6 x 60 min entertainment / current affairs series

As journalist

As director

  • One World (Central Television 1990)

As producer / director

  • An Eye On X Windrush Productions/Carlton Television/Arts Council of Great Britain 1995) Film on micro sculptor Willard Wigan
  • "Aaliyah" Windrush Productions/Carlton Television 1995
  • "Edwin Starr" Windrush Productions/Carlton Television 1995
  • "Love in Kenya" Windrush Productions / Carlton Television 1995. English woman on holiday finds love with Kenyan man.
  • "15 Minute Meals" (Windrush Productions / Carlton Television) 1995. Six chefs from around the world cook up local dishes in 15 minutes.
  • Xpress (Windrush Productions/Carlton Television) 1995) 12 x 30 min entertainment series
  • [[Respect (television show) (Carlton Television 1995) 6 x 30min sports series / documentary on Boxer Lennox Lewis
  • [[Respect (television show) (Carlton Television 1995) 6 x 30min sports series / documentary on Rugby player Martin Offiah
  • Respect (Carlton 1995) 6 x 30min sports series / documentaries on Athlete Judy Simpson
  • Respect (Carlton 1995) 6 x 30min sports series / documentary on Footballer Tony Daley
  • Respect (Carlton 1995) 6 x 30min sports series / documentary on Athlete John Regis
  • Respect (Carlton 1995) 6 x 30min sports series / documentary on Disabled Tennis Player Diana Bowles
  • The A-Force (BBC 1997) 6 x 60 min entertainment series, [[Lifestyle film on Jada Pinkett Smith, Dave Chapelle, John Singleton, Isaac Hayes in Canada
  • "The A-Force" (BBC 1997) 6 x 60 min entertainment series, [[Lifestyle film of Footballer George Weah in Italy
  • "The A-Force" (BBC 1997) 6 x 60 min entertainment series, [[Lifestyle film of Footballer [John Barnes]] in Italy
  • The Way Forward (Windrush/Birmingham Education Dept 1999)

Selected films

As director / producer

  • "Francesca's Key" (OOM Gallery/Isis Regeneration/MADE) 2007 Fantasy adventure film.
  • Reflections Windrush Productions Millennium Commission 1999 - also Producer.
  • Forward Ever Backward Never (Windrush Productions 2002) commissioned by London based Artangel Interaction - located in Cuba, tragic love story set against the backdrop of 19th century slavery. Screened at Lumiere, London / UGC Cinema Arcadian, Birmingham / Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham / Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre / Unity Theatre, Liverpool.
  • "Should Black Art Still Be Beautiful" 2006 - as Executive Producer
  • "The Diver" Film set against the backdrop of Morocco, young boy in search of his father and gets caught up in terrorist web. 2008
  • 'Aaliyah Live in Amsterdam" The late hip hop superstar Aaliyah filmed live in concert Amsterdam 1995.2010

External links


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