Marco Grob

Portrait (Man in Water)

"The Dogfather" Nantucket, USA 2022 Digital Pigment Print on Archival 315gsm Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper This work was sourced directly from the artist. The Brotherhood of Thieves, on the tiny old whaling island of Nantucket, is as good a bar as any we know in America from which to tell old stories - and we know quite a few. The ambient light from the window is powerful enough to remove the need for a gaffer and this is such a help when trying to tell tales with a sense of place. The detail in the dog’s face is all lit from the window and this effect lends a sense of timeless drama. This picture could have been taken 50 or 100 years ago rather than April 2022. Mastiff dogs are among some of the oldest breeds known to humans and were among the first canines to accompany humans on their migrations across the globe. More importantly, for the purpose of this role, their faces have a rather majestic human countenance allowing me to build stories around them. We have worked with many breeds over the years, but for this kind of work, Mastiffs are in a league of their own...

"The Brotherhood of Thieves" Nantucket, USA 2022 Digital Pigment Print on Archival 315gsm Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper This work was sourced directly from the artist. Not far inland from the storied harbour of Nantucket lies a wonderfully named bar - The Brotherhood of Thieves. Our desk research had led us to believe it could be a perfect location as the walls and ceiling looked timeless and there appeared to be good window light. When I arrived in town, I went straight to the bar which was being refurbished ahead of the start of the summer season. It was better than I had dared to hope and I told the team that so long as we got permission from the owner to shoot there, our quest for strong indoor locations on the island was over. We had our spot. The owners could not have been more accommodating and we had four days to put together a strong line up. The storyline was always going to have a maritime leaning and my instincts were to go back to the island’s leading position in the whaling industry in the 19th century. Nantucket was, of course, the starting point for the doomed whaler - Essex - and integral to Herman Melville’s classic novel - Moby Dick. I imagined that The Brotherhood of Thieves would have a drinking den for returning whalers, salty sea dogs and gamblers and this assembly may have attracted the more opportunistic girls on the island. A picture of the bar’s clientele evolved daily in my mind as I wandered around this old town thinking of ideas. I knew we could have no bland characters, everyone had to earn their right to be a thief, a gambler or indeed a lady of the night...

"Nantucket's Last Supper" Nantucket, USA 2022 71 x 71 inches (Framed) Smaller Size Available - 52 X 52 inches framed Digital Pigment Print on Archival 315gsm Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper This work was sourced directly from the artist. I struggle to think of an island in the world where one colour enjoys such a monopoly of the building exteriors as grey does in Nantucket. White enjoys a healthy control of the facades of Greek islands such as Mykonos and Santorini, but there is no such thing as a Greek White in decorators’ colour palettes, whereas there is most certainly a Nantucket Grey described as “a stylish gray-green reminiscent of fog settling over grassy fields.” During our time on Nantucket, I scouted for a building that could proudly showcase not just this colour, but also Nantucket’s distinct architectural design. Happily, this was not a challenging quest as the oldest building on the island - The Old House - built in 1680, ticks both boxes. The island’s English population at the time totalled just several hundred, and the native Wampanoag outnumbered them by at least three to one. In 2022 this historic building had clear potential as a contextual backdrop; I just needed a foreground narrative. We have shot “Last Supper” stories in Montana and Texas and this seemed as good an opportunity as any to continue this series, albeit on this occasion, I felt obliged to introduce a maritime vibe. To me Nantucket is about the storied past not the present and the island has no shortage of Salty Dog characters to pick up on the streets and dress accordingly. The central figure in the piece - a female mastiff called Cash - was more than willing to take a pipe in her mouth, so long as there was a bit of bread on the end of it. It was not an easy ask for her handler but all we needed was one second and then to hope that the human talent was all on point and remembering their pose from Available Sizes (Framed Size) Large: 71" x 71" Standard: 52" x 52" Available Editions Large: Edition of 12 Standard: Edition of 12 About David Yarrow David Yarrow was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1966. He took up photography at an early age and as a 20-year-old found himself working as a photographer for The London Times on the pitch at the World Cup Final in Mexico City. On that day, David took the famous picture of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup and, as a result, was subsequently asked to cover the Olympics and numerous other sporting events. Many years later David established himself as a fine art photographer by documenting the natural world from new perspectives and the last nine years have been career-defining. David’s evocative and immersive photography of life on earth is most distinctive and has earned him an ever-growing following amongst art collectors. His large monochrome images made in Los Angeles are on display in leading galleries and museums across Europe and North America. He is now recognised as one of the best-selling fine art...

Digital Pigment Print on Archival 315gsm Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper DEAD MAN'S CHEST Anguilla, Caribbean 2022 This work was sourced directly from the artist. I hope this image is identified as having some of my trademarks. Every inch of the frame sweats and every person within the frame firmly stakes claim to his or her presence. I was greedy in the amount of information I wanted in the picture and for it to come off, I needed luck as well as strong communication with everyone on set. It has the cinematic feel that I often strive for and I think in time I will look back very fondly on that evening. At the moment it is all a little fresh and the subject matter is sufficiently adrift from my normal work that it is difficult to find context. But my sense is that it is a special photograph. The goal was to attain compositional harmony amidst the chaos of the beach landing, which was not that easy an objective as this landing was for real. This raw and rocky coastline in Anguilla is no studio. In retrospect it is remarkable that not only are the faces of the six male pirates in the landing party all in view but they also show collective endeavour. They had enough to think about dealing with the boat in the tide and maybe the truth is that they weren’t in role at all. Whilst getting soaked, out of my right eye I was checking the barrel in the sea, as I didn’t want to lose it behind the boat. There was quite a bit of multi-tasking going on in that one minute. Keeping a watch on two Rastafarian friends on the rocks was a further dimension. It was quite late in the day and by that time, I couldn't be too sure of their footing given their activities during the day. Josie Canseco...

"Chief" Wyoming, USA 2020 Large: 71" x 96” Edition of 12 Standard: 52" x 69" Edition of 12 This work is sourced directly from the artist. Framed Digital Pigment Print on Archival 315gsm Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper Hand-signed by artist with Certificate of Authenticity Over the last few weeks we have quietly been photographing senior Native Americans against the backdrop of quintessential and emblematic American vistas.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Whilst we will be releasing some of the series in the run up to the Presidential Election, this is not an overtly political statement from us. We know that Native Americans have long had a leaning toward the Democratic Party, but we took this assignment on because it is relevant, not to be political.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ There is wide recognition now that Christopher Columbus did not discover America in 1492 and the events in Minneapolis have accelerated the debate on the possibility of institutionalised racism in the teaching of American history. This is not a discussion we want to fully engage in - as we are ill equipped to add value, but I do want to celebrate some of the tribal elders I have had the fortune to encounter in the last month. Their pride, manners, grace and humility have been humbling. We have made new friends in the North.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ For this project we worked with Chief John Spotted Tail, the great-great-grandson of the fabled Lakota chief Spotted Tail. We spent two days with him in Northern Wyoming and he was so excited to wear the headpiece that only the most senior Native American chiefs like him can wear. His attire was emphatically his decision not ours. Their heritage is integral to their souls.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The ground in front of Devils Tower...

"The Biggest Catch" Nantucket, USA 2022 Digital Pigment Print on Archival 315gsm Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta Paper This work was sourced directly from the artist. In my deliberations as to how to tell a Nantucket story, there were some key asso-ciations of the island that I knew I needed to incorporate. One was always going to be its storied maritime past, and in particular its leading position in the whaling industry. Then there are certain features on the island that if included in an image would reinforce a sense of place - such as Nantucket Grey buildings and of course the lighthouses. But in our production meetings in the run up to the assignment, there was one feature I kept on requesting that we prioritised - the cobbled streets. When I think of Nantucket, I think of the cobbles - particularly on Main Street - not only because of their aesthetic appeal, but also because they tell a story of the island’s British roots. Nantucket shipped...