Julian Lennon may have been born into a house of
music but his branches of interest spread much further out. In fact, his
passions for photography and philanthropy are so deep in his soul that
they are what fuel his fires today. So much so, that when creativity is
sparking he charges full-speed ahead. “Sometimes when there’s such a lot
of work I suffer from insomnia. So I’m exhausted going to bed and then I
start thinking about the next day/week/month and the mind doesn’t turn
off,” Julian told during our recent interview.
On September 9th, Julian’s latest photography exhibition opened at the Leica Gallery in Los Angeles. Titled ,
it explores the cycle of life along the South China Seas. Faces emerge
from the canvases like bolts of lightning while a temple stands strong
against a backdrop of clouds in turmoil. Striking images that tell
stories that may be different for each viewer. And Lennon likes it that
way.
The first son of John Lennon and first wife Cynthia, Julian
was born in the early, crazy days of Beatlemania, he was a cherubic face
hidden away from the insanity. Of course later ”Hey Jude” evolved from
“Hey Jules”, a song Paul wrote to comfort Julian,
during his parents’ divorce. In his twenties, Julian made some records
and had two big singles himself with “Valotte” and “Too Late For
Goodbyes.” But other interests began to tug at him stronger – film,
documentaries, photography, all highly stimulating visual arts, music
for a different sense.
In 2009, Julian started the White Feather Foundation to
“do good and give back,” to make the world a better place, provide
clean water, teach others how to take care of the planet and all the
people on it.
The following year, Lennon had his first photographic exhibit featuring U2
and landscapes that were like watercolor paintings. He thrived in
post-production editing, allowing the photograph to dictate the
enhancements. The more he traveled, the more he shot, the more his eye
picked up on the symphonies of everyday life – the people, their work,
their love, their struggles. And that is what we focused on during my
interview with Lennon – what he sees, what he feels, behind the camera.
With Cycle running till October 17th, there is plenty of time to stop by the gallery and spend a few hours absorbing his stories and how he chooses to tell them.
Hi Julian, how are you today?
I’m okay, thank you very much. Just my usual tired self but apart from that I’m all good.
You
have something really wonderful going on right now in your life so why
don’t you please tell us more about your exhibit and how it all came
together.
Well, the Cycle exhibit, it’s been six months
in the making. It was around the same time as my birthday and the first
year anniversary of my mother’s passing, and I thought, well, I didn’t
want to stay at home and be miserable. I’d had this peculiar invitation
to go and join some friends, and the few people I didn’t know, on a
trip, on this little cruise, around the South China Seas. And I thought,
well, why not. Let me push myself. I’ve never been to that part of the
world really. I’ve flown around and nearby with work but never just to
experience it. And I was there for ten days, visiting countries like
Vietnam, Malaysia and Borneo. Then on the way home I stopped by in Bali,
cause I had a friend there. I took my camera, and the thing was, that
just previous to that I’d been offered a gig to do a show, an exhibition
with Leica. So I thought this could be the perfect opportunity. I
wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to shoot because I didn’t know
what to expect (laughs).
Read the complete interview ... HERE.
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