Charles Moriarty On New Photography Book ‘X’

Capturing the last decade of his work photographing men, X is a new limited edition photography book by Charles Moriarty.

Best known for shooting the iconic cover for Amy Winehouse’s debut album Frank, and subsequently publishing a book of portraits of her time leading up to the album, X is a personal and distinct collection of work embodying the artist’s journey that speaks to the larger queer experience. Representing human exploration, his subjects are queer, straight, drag queens, artists, models, friends, family, and loves who candidly depict the male form in many diverse presentations. The book is also peppered with haunting landscapes and still life shots.

Growing up gay, closeted, and Catholic in Ireland in the 1980s, X masterfully presents a topic that was taboo, and once illegal, lensing intimacy and queerness to remarkable effect.

Moriarty caught up with OFM to talk more about X, working with Amy Winehouse, and the photographic journey he hopes to go on.

Hi, Charlies! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about your new photography book, X. What can you tell us about it?
X was put together during the first lockdown, and is a 10-year reflection of my photographic journey with men. It’s also a very personal conversation about my own experiences with men. That links my exploration of my sexuality and photographic practice.What inspired you to create this project?
At the beginning of 2020, there were a couple of book ideas that I was trying to explore in my head. I was trying to work through their curation. In the end, I joined two ideas into one and created X. In the first lockdown, I was on my own for five months, and felt a desperate need to do something with that time, and X was the result. X is inspired by photographers like Nan Goldin, Ryan McGinley, and many others who seek to tell their own story through documentation of their life and people who embody it.

What do you hope audiences take away from X?
I was trying to create something that was intimate and honest about myself. The kind of book I would have wanted to uncover at the back of a bookstore when I was a teenager. A document that was a mirror of my own queer existence, my own projected journey. I hope people can see that in the book. See the dialogue that is going on.

Have you always had a passion for photography?
Yes, but I started off in the film industry at the age of 14, and when I was 21, I shot Amy Winehouse’s album cover for Frank, which was my first photography job. I had almost no real experience as a photographer. That then led me to jump down the rabbit hole and dive into the photographic world.

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Yes, you are very well-known for working with Amy Winehouse. What was it like to collaborate with her, and what are of your favorite memories?
When I met Amy, it was the day that we did the Frank album cover. She was instantly likable, and we connected very well. From that, we had a friendship that lasted a couple of years. I was lucky to have her in my life. My fondest memories of her are when we were in New York, and we shot in Manhattan. But also of us just hanging out at her place and listening to music or getting dinner. Amy was kind, generous, and a lot of fun to be around.

What do you find to be the most rewarding part about your work?
I love the fact that I can create something from nothing. It is such a rewarding experience to manifest something that has existed inside your head and bring it into reality. I get to create my own worlds.

Who would you love to photograph someday?
God, there is a long list [laughs]. That is a hard question. I have always really wanted to photograph Angelica Houston, and there are a ton of people who I would have loved to photograph like Marlon Brando, people who are gone, who I definitely have no chance of photographing, and I am slightly pissed about that.What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform as a photographer?
I want to continue creating books and working towards being seen. For me, photography is a great reason for discovery, and my work sort of crosses between documentary and fine art. A lot of it is really the documentation of my life, so I have a bunch of journeys I want to go on. Photography comes in handy as a catalyst for exploration. I want to create more work and discover more of the world through a lens.

Before we wrap up, are there any other projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
I have a book of interviews coming out later this year, published by ACC called, Photographers On the Art of Photography, and hopefully, COVID depending, there will be an exhibition in the states this summer of the Amy Winehouse stuff. Keep an eye out on that announcement.

To stay up-to-date with Moriarty, follow him on Instagram, or visit his official website. Click here to purchase your copy of X.

Photos Courtesy of Charles Moriarty