Nadav Kander is recognized as one of the most original and highly regarded photographers of our time. His work forms part of the public collection at the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Kander, who was born in Israel but grew up in Johannesburg, began photographing at 13. Later, when drafted into the South African Air Force, he worked in the darkroom printing aerial photographs. His work appears in publications including The Sunday Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Another Man and Dazed & Confused. In 2009, The New York Times Magazine devoted an entire issue to Obama’s People, Kander’s 52 portraits of President Obama’s inaugural administration. Recent commissions include campaigns for Adidas, Dell, Levis, Rolex, Absolut, Stella Artois, Samsung, Puma and Nike. Exhibitions include ‘Obama’s People’ Flowers Gallery, London (2009) ‘Obama’s People’ Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (2009), Yangtze From East to West, Flowers Gallery, London (2008), Shanghai Art Museum, China (2006), Keep your Distance , Palais de Tokyo (2005).
Kander was named International Photographer of the Year at the 7th Annual Lucie Awards in 2009 and has also received awards from the Art Director’s Club and IPA in the USA, the D&AD and the John Kobal Foundation in the UK and Epic in Europe. He was awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s ‘Terence Donovan’ Award in 2005 and 2007. Other accolades include winner of the Prix Pictet Earth 2009, and Silver Photographer of the Year Award at Lianzhou International Photo Festival 2008 in China. Kander has produced two books - Beauty’s Nothing (2001) and Night (2003), Obama’s People (2009). He lives in London and is represented by Flowers Gallery in London and Pekin Fine Arts in Beijing.