KEY POINTS:
Kiwi photographer Derek Henderson has recently moved from London to live in Bondi, Sydney, with his partner Margot, two-year-old daughter and Louis the cat. He is respected internationally for his work in fashion magazines such as Arena Homme Plus, ID, Vogue and Harpers and Oyster, along with his corporate work for the likes of Coca Cola, Levis, Tourism NZ and Karen Walker. He has also held numerous exhibitions and published two books The Terrible Boredom of Paradise and most recently I Go Down To The River To Pray which will be released in October. He is now working with the directors of the Sydney Theatre Company, Cate Blanchett and her husband Andrew Upton, on a publicity campaign, and is about to shoot the summer campaign for Country Road and a worldwide campaign for 42 Below Vodka.
Derek plans to visit Auckland for the 'Semi-Permanent' design forum on August 15 and 16, where he will discuss the fine art of balancing his commercial and personal work, and the launch of his new book published by www.michaellett.com, which coincides with an exhibition at the Anna Bibby Gallery.
10 FAVOURITES
1 Julian Dashper target paintings
From www.suecrockford.com. I think it's a great idea executed well and love that it is painted on a drum skin. I collect Kiwi art - when I can afford it and it's
a way to remember home. Other paintings I have are by Ralph Hotere, Reuben Patterson and Peter Stichbury.
2 Cashmere
I love my cashmere sweaters by To Sir With Love. My partner Margot Davies is part of the design team, the other is Katie Lockhart who lives in Auckland. You can buy these at Karen Walker. I'm lucky as I get given lots of them.
3 My cat
He's a white, fluffy Himalayan Persian called Louis - and more like a dog than a cat.
4 My Bill Henson print
I bought this from www.roslynoxley9.com.au. Bill Henson is a Melbourne-based artist who is very highly regarded in Australia. I love this particular image as it's quite ethereal - like an angel. Henson references Caravaggio quite a bit in his work and I like that.
5 My Deardorf 10" x 8" camera
It was made in the USA in 1954 and I bought it when I was there about four years ago. I decided I wanted to shoot all the photographs for I Go Down to The River to Pray about the Waikato River on it because the negatives are so big so it means the quality of the image is amazing - better than the naked eye almost. My mother was born in Mercer and we always used to go back there to visit from the Hawkes Bay, and I have fond memories of snaking along the Waikato; it's always intrigued me. The book is about the people, the communities and the historical and social significance of the river itself.
6 My white skull I bought this in New York City at www.evolutionyc.com. It wasn't white when I got it, but I was doing some still life pictures of white objects so it got a paint job. I have bit of an obsession with skulls - they make for good still life studies. I've taken lots of photos of this over time - none of which are any good. Evolution is an amazing paleontology store and I often go there. I'm intrigued by fossils and bones.
7 A first edition copy of St Louis & The Arch by Joel Meyerowitz, 1980 This is my favourite photographic book. I love Joel's work and it has always inspired me. I bought a soft cover edition of the book in 1984 or somewhere around that time and always wanted the first edition hard cover. www.abebooks.com is great for hard-to-find first editions.
8 A first edition American Photographs by Walker Evans, 1938 I got this copy, which is extremely rare, at www.sainsburysbooks.com. Whenever I'm in Melbourne I try to go, as its a real gem for rare second-hand books. One afternoon while I was there this box of old books came in and the owner - who knows me - said, have a look they're from an old guy who used to be a photographer. Well I couldn't believe it when I came across this - it's a very significant, very valuable first edition. Walker Evans has influenced my photography in many ways. In the past few years collecting first edition photographer books has really gone through the roof. But for me this is a seminal find. Being in the right place at the right time.
9 Our apartment We live in a minimal, 1964 three-bedroom apartment which has wonderful light and a view across a bowling club and park. It is in Bondi, which I love because it's near the beach, the weather is warm and there are lots of great cafes and restaurants.
10 My family and friends Despite all of the above, none of them really matter to me as much as my family and friends. I believe the capital system is all about to collapse so I'm not a great believer in the importance of material stuff. Also, having spent the past 20 years travelling I don't actually have a lot of stuff - just art and books. It doesn't really matter to me what kind of couch I'm sitting on. It's who I'm sitting on it with.
