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Alexander Mark Hanson (born UK, 1969) is a photographer and artist based in London.

Early life

Born in 1969, adopted and raised in the Yorkshire countryside, outside of Leeds, in north-east England. His mother, A.A. Hanson (Leeds College of Art), is a potter. He is from a large extended family.

Family holidays, with the "cheap and colourful" Court Line aviation company, are cited as early visual influences. He sang treble in a large church choir (St. Edmund's, Roundhay), encouraged by his school music teacher.

After schools in Leeds and York, he moved from home at age 17, holding happenings in the basement of a shared house in the Harehills area of Leeds. Around the same time he won a place with the National Youth Theatre, he also performed in several public productions at Leeds University Workshop Theatre, beginning an ongoing and active interest in performance photography and photo performance. Aged 18 his first work was exhibited at Leeds City Art Gallery, in a group display about new surrealism.

He left the formal education system relatively early (after a period studying fine art and drama) and moved to London in 1989 at age 19, to "begin an adventure with my tripod". However work that year sees him already exploring out of town, including a photo journey made across Europe, then witnessing and documenting the historic collapse of the Berlin Wall later in the year.

1990s work

His photo portraiture is first published in i-D magazine (Jan 1991) and other scene, music and listings periodicals throughout the early to mid '90s, often using the moniker Alex Sparks. He appeared in an french television advert, playing a catwalk photographer, for a hair care product. A series New Disco Portraits (made between 1993-1995, includes billstickers, 35mm projections and edition photo-books), includes an early picture of designer Alexander McQueen on the verge of fame, alongside other progressive people, at a time when London was witnessing the so-called Brit Art and Pop explosion. He made film stills and appeared in the award winning Brit-flick short A Smashing Night Out (dir: M. Glamorre / 1994 BBC 10 x 10 series), shot in Brighton and London.

He was the only photographer to record performance artist and cultural icon Leigh Bowery's legendary last show in late 1994. Some of the work was later exhibited (including at The Fine Art Society, London) and appears also in the monograph Leigh Bowery (Violette Editions / 1998), prompting publisher Robert Violette to say that the photographs; "represent a crucial, defining moment of the 1990s".

In the late 1990s he produces various conceptually based series, alongside studio and location fine art and documentary photography. Selected work from this period was displayed in galleries, project spaces, shops and bars, mainly throughout London's Soho and Shoreditch districts. He also begins to "do turns" or "photo actions" with collaborators and collectives such as Richard Torry and The Sound Storm.

An audio/visual book We Love You (Booth Clibborn / 1998) shows his print work alongside that of more established art world figures such as Gilbert & George, Marc Quinn and Tracey Emin, amongst others (credit appears as Alex Mark Hanson called Simon in this and other publications).

2000s work

Key photo series are made in London, Yorkshire, various English coastal locations, New York City (in Spring 2002), and in the Greek Cyclades islands (2004). Selected work showing in galleries, art festivals and venues, mainly in London (Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, The Centre of Attention galleries) and further afield in recent years; Berlin, Milan, Barcelona, Brussels and Tokyo.

alexcalledsimon projects (ongoing) forms to produce and present work based around a "photo family". A group of hybrid-semi-alter-egos and other characters, such as Susan Tripod, Country Tramp and Rebel Against Thing appear in a range of thematic guises and forms, installation work and displays and related mixed and multi media, including recently on film. His Missy Island series, for example, is a large scale ongoing environmental and land art project, incorporating drawing with site specific photo layouts, Evolutionary work from these projects has appeared in shows and as part of performance events and, in Japan, dispensed from vending machines.

Cosmos Contact 400 (2005) documents the set up and display of commemorative fireworks over St Paul's Cathedral and Tate Modern for the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot. Imagery from this, as often with other photo stories, evolves into related photo based and mixed media and work.

His performance associated work includes studies (often forming longer series, across several formats), of many at the cutting edge of the avant garde and off shoots of pop culture, recently David Hoyle, Patrick Wolf, Richard LaRue, Susanne Oberbeck, Kenneth Anger, Wolfgang Tillmans and others. He records and creates imagery of people from a variety of work disciplines and lifestyles.

Under a small imprint (simonsplaypen-editions) Hanson produces solo and collaborative printed matter, picture books, multiples and unique constructions. Only a very small number of prints are made from any one original, although some other image based material has a purposefully larger output.

Recent work has shown in London, including at The Photographer's Gallery (What Haunts You? group project) and Residence Gallery for Hackney Wicked Art Festival 08, in European shows such as the 24London touring exhibit in Berlin, Milan and Barcelona and T.A.G galleries in Brussels (2009). In 2008 UK and US publications (Dance Theatre Journal, Gazelland) showed his performance related work.

A.M. Hanson, 'Alex' as he is known to his friends and 'Mark' to his family, is based in London.

External links

alexcalledsimon projects including A.M. Hanson Photo Works, selected recent and archive work, with show, event, publication and other information.
selected recent docu photo stories & news
Museum of Revised History
Hackney Wicked Art Festival 2008
24London Euro touring exhibit 2006
BBC news clip about 24London shows
The Photographer's Gallery, London 2007
Rice+, Tokyo 2003 show
alexcalledsimon projects updates at the-artists.org
The Centre of Attention Gallery 2003 show
story behind the 1994 Leigh Bowery pictures

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{unreferenced|date=March 2009}}
-'''A.M. Hanson''' (born [[UK]], [[1969]])
+{{Like resume|date=March 2009}}
-is a [[photographer]] and [[artist]]. He is based in [[London]].
+{{orphan|date=March 2009}}
+'''Alexander Mark Hanson''' (born [[UK]], [[1969]]) is a [[photographer]] and [[artist]] based in London.
+== Early life ==
+Born in 1969, adopted and raised in the [[Yorkshire]] countryside, outside of [[Leeds]], in north-east [[England]].
+His mother, A.A. Hanson ([[Leeds College of Art]]), is a [[pottery|potter]]. He is from a large extended family.
+Family holidays, with the "cheap and colourful" [[Court Line]] [[aviation]] company, are cited as early visual influences.
+He sang [[boy soprano|treble]] in a large [[church choir]] (St. Edmund's, Roundhay), encouraged by his school [[music teacher]].
+After schools in Leeds and [[York]], he moved from home at age 17, holding [[happening]]s in the basement of a shared house in the [[Harehills]] area of Leeds. Around the same time he won a place with the [[National Youth Theatre]], he also performed in several public productions at [[Leeds University]] Workshop Theatre, beginning an ongoing and active interest in performance photography and photo performance. Aged 18 his first work was exhibited at [[Leeds City Art Gallery]], in a group display about new surrealism.
+He left the formal education system relatively early (after a period studying [[fine art]] and [[drama]]) and moved to [[London]] in [[1989]] at age 19, to "begin an adventure with my tripod".  However work that year sees him already exploring out of town, including a photo journey made across [[Europe]], then witnessing and documenting the historic collapse of the [[Berlin Wall]] later in the year.
+== 1990s work ==
+His photo [[portraiture]] is first published in [[i-D]] magazine (Jan [[1991]]) and other scene, music and listings [[periodicals]] throughout the early to mid '90s, often using the moniker '''Alex Sparks'''. He appeared in an french television advert, playing a catwalk photographer, for a hair care product. A series ''New Disco Portraits'' (made between [[1993]]-[[1995]], includes billstickers, 35mm projections and edition photo-books), includes an early picture of designer [[Alexander McQueen]] on the verge of fame, alongside other progressive people, at a time when London was witnessing the so-called [[Brit Art]] and Pop explosion. He made [[film stills]] and appeared in the award winning Brit-flick short ''A Smashing Night Out'' (dir: M. Glamorre / 1994 [[BBC]] 10 x 10 series), shot in [[Brighton]] and London.
+He was the only photographer to record [[performance artist]] and cultural icon [[Leigh Bowery]]'s legendary last show in late [[1994]]. Some of the work was later exhibited (including at The Fine Art Society, London) and appears also in the monograph ''Leigh Bowery'' (Violette Editions / [[1998]]), prompting publisher Robert Violette to say that the photographs; "represent a crucial, defining moment of the 1990s".
+In the late [[1990s]] he produces various conceptually based series, alongside [[studio]] and location [[fine art]] and [[documentary]] photography. Selected work from this period was displayed in [[galleries]], project spaces, shops and bars, mainly throughout London's [[Soho]] and [[Shoreditch]] districts. He also begins to "do turns" or "photo actions" with collaborators and collectives such as Richard Torry and ''The Sound Storm''.
+An audio/visual book ''We Love You'' (Booth Clibborn / 1998) shows his print work alongside that of more established art world figures such as [[Gilbert & George]], [[Marc Quinn]] and [[Tracey Emin]], amongst others (credit appears as '''Alex Mark Hanson called Simon''' in this and other publications).
+== 2000s work ==
+Key photo series are made in London, Yorkshire, various [[England|English]] [[coastal]] locations, [[New York City]] (in Spring 2002), and in the [[Greece|Greek]] [[Cyclades]] [[islands]] (2004). Selected work showing in galleries, [[art festivals]] and venues, mainly in London (Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, The Centre of Attention galleries) and further afield in recent years; [[Berlin]], [[Milan]], [[Barcelona]], [[Brussels]] and [[Tokyo]].
+'''alexcalledsimon projects''' (ongoing) forms to produce and present work based around a "photo family". A group of hybrid-semi-alter-egos and other characters, such as ''Susan Tripod'', ''Country Tramp'' and ''Rebel Against Thing'' appear in a range of thematic guises and forms,  installation work and displays and related mixed and multi media, including recently on film. His ''Missy Island'' series, for example, is a large scale ongoing environmental and land art project, incorporating drawing with site specific photo layouts,  Evolutionary work from these projects has appeared in shows and as part of performance events and, in Japan, dispensed from vending machines.
+''Cosmos Contact 400'' (2005) documents the set up and display of commemorative [[fireworks]] over [[St Paul's Cathedral]] and [[Tate Modern]] for the 400th anniversary of [[Guy Fawkes]]' [[Gunpowder Plot]]. Imagery from this, as often with other photo stories, evolves into related photo based and mixed media and work.
+His [[performance]] associated work includes studies (often forming longer series, across several formats), of many at the cutting edge of the [[avant garde]] and off shoots of pop culture, recently [[David Hoyle]], [[Patrick Wolf]], Richard LaRue, Susanne Oberbeck, [[Kenneth Anger]], [[Wolfgang Tillmans]] and others. He records and creates imagery of people from a variety of work disciplines and lifestyles.
+Under a small imprint ('''simonsplaypen-editions''') Hanson produces solo and collaborative printed matter, picture books, multiples and unique constructions. Only a very small number of prints are made from any one original, although some other image based material has a purposefully larger output.
+Recent work has shown in London, including at The Photographer's Gallery (''What Haunts You?'' group project) and Residence Gallery for ''Hackney Wicked'' Art Festival 08, in European shows such as the ''24London'' touring exhibit in Berlin, Milan and Barcelona and T.A.G galleries in Brussels (2009). In 2008 UK and US publications (''Dance Theatre Journal'', ''Gazelland'') showed his performance related work.
+A.M. Hanson, 'Alex' as he is known to his friends and 'Mark' to his family, is based in London.
 == External links ==
-*[http://www.alexcalledsimonprojects.com alexcalledsimon projects] selected recent and archive work, with information.
+*[http://www.alexcalledsimonprojects.com alexcalledsimon projects] including A.M. Hanson Photo Works, selected recent and archive work, with show, event, publication and other information.
 *[http://www.alexcalledsimon.blogspot.com selected recent docu photo stories & news]
 *[http://www.residence-gallery.com Museum of Revised History]