Adrian Steirn

Adrian Steirn is a photographer and filmmaker. He is the founder and director of 21 Icons, a visual celebration of people who have influenced the world for the better. He is also the founder of Ginkgo Agency, a creative content and strategy agency based in Cape Town, South Africa.


Early life

Born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Grammar School and the University of Technology, Sydney, Steirn's affinity for Africa began as a child when he visited on a family trip. He later returned a number of times before settling in South Africa in 2008.

Career

Steirn works to promote and engage with humanitarian and wildlife conservation, using visual images as a means to stimulate discussion and action around key issues. His films and photographs have been used as the basis for campaigns aimed at raising awareness and creating change for WWF, the Global Fund and the Dementia Campaign.

Steirn is an ambassador for Nikon, Mercedes-Benz, Lowepro and Gitzo as well as being WWF South Africa’s Photographer-in-Residence.[1] He has worked with partners such as WWF, Sky Arts, and Mercedes-Benz.

Photography and filmmaking

Steirn’s body of work is defined by his commitment to narrative, using films and photographs to tell the stories of his subjects. South African artist William Kentridge has appreciated Steirn's ability as a portrait photographer for its "technical mastery" and "perfectionism".[2]

“Adrian Steirn's photographs have an inventiveness and wit. He is able both to perceive unusual perspectives on his subjects and – vital for a portraitist – is able to convince his subject to participate in his exploration. Together with this, he brings a technical mastery that is tested to its limits by his perfectionism."[3]

Steirn has been photographing the world’s wild subjects for over fifteen years, and is celebrated for his unique ability to capture "the beauty of the real Africa and its inhabitants".[4]

Partnering with WWF UK, Steirn visited Uganda in September 2013 to create a film highlighting the danger posed to the region’s mountain gorillas by the prospect of oil exploration in Virunga National Park. Together with British actress Anna Friel, Steirn created a film about Friel’s first encounter with gorillas as part of WWF’s #SOSVirunga campaign, ultimately halting efforts to explore for oil in the area.

Steirn has worked with a range of extraordinary and distinguished individuals across the world through the course of his career. He has photographed the likes of Bill Gates, Bono, Tony Blair, Annie Lennox, Charlize Theron, Thandie Newton, Lily Cole, and Michael Parkinson through the course of his career. This work has seen Steirn named portrait photographer at the Africa Photographic Awards.[5]

In October 2011, Adrian Steirn documented the final weeks of Lord Philip Gould's life, resulting in a portrait and the short film: When I die: Lessons from the Death Zone. Steirn's portrait of Gould is on permanent exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the short film accompanies Gould's book of the same title.[6]

Alongside the film, Steirn produced a photo essay, Philip Gould: A Life In Pictures, which gives a glimpse into what it was like for both men as they came to terms with Gould's death.

Steirn is represented by the Everard Read gallery in Johannesburg and a select number of notable game reserves throughout Africa, including Singita.[7]

21 Icons

In 2013, Steirn released Season I of 21 Icons South Africa. The initiative was born in part from his desire to photograph Nelson Mandela.[8] A visual celebration of the men and women who have shaped the 21st century, the project is composed of fine-art photographic portraits of the icons as well as short films profiling their achievements. Season I, based in South Africa, featured Nelson Mandela, Nadine Gordimer, Ahmed Kathrada and Sophia Willams De Bruyn, among others. Nelson Mandela's portrait appeared in over 28 000 newspapers worldwide. It was auctioned for a South African-record R2 million, with the proceeds donated to the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital and WWF South Africa.[9] The remaining portraits will be auctioned to raise money for charities chosen by the individuals who are featured.

Two Seasons of 21 Icons have been released to date, featuring the following individuals:

Season I:[10]

Ahmed Kathrada; Desmond Tutu; Evelina Tshabalala; FW de Klerk; Gary Player; Gcina Mhlophe; George Bizos; Helen Sebidi; Hugh Masekela; John Kani; Johnny Clegg; Karel Benadie; Kumi Naidoo; Lillian Cingo; Nadine Gordimer; Nelson Mandela; Phillip Tobias; Sophia Williams De Bruyn; William Kentridge; Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Zackie Achmat

Season II:[11]

Albie Sachs; Anant Singh; Francois Pienaar; Frene Ginwala; Grace Masuku; Herman Mashaba; Imtiaz Sooliman; James Matthews; Jill Farrant; Kitty Phetla; Lucas Radebe; Miriam Tlali; Peter Magubane; Pieter-Dirk Uys; Pops Mohamed; Pregs Govender; Sandra Prinsloo; Taddy Blecher; Tebello Nyokong; Zanele Situ; and Zubeida Jaffer

Season III: Future of a Nation (launching in 2015)

A journey that began with Nelson Mandela’s last official photographic portrait in Season I continued with the people who have shaped South Africa’s democracy in Season II. Now 21 Icons turns to the future. Season III celebrates contemporary icons: men and women who hold within them the potential of Madiba’s legacy.

Books

21 Icons Season I [12]

Television Series

21 Icons Season I ‘Journey to Democracy’

21 Icons Season II ‘Promise of Freedom’

Documentaries

21 Icons Season I ‘Journey to Democracy’

21 Icons Season II ‘The Promise of Freedom’

Lily Cole’s Amazon Adventure[13]

Exhibition

This Wild Afrique [14]

21 Icons Portrait of a Nation [15]

References

  1. ↑ "Photogrpher-In-Residence". http://www.wwf.org.za/. Retrieved 22 March 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  2. ↑ "Adrian Steirn : ADRIAN STEIRN : CIRCA on Jellicoe Gallery". Circaonjellicoe.co.za. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  3. ↑ "ADRIAN STEIRN : CIRCA on Jellicoe Gallery". Circaonjellicoe.co.za. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "Adrian Steirn Fine Art Wildlife Collection". Adriansteirn.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  5. ↑ Danie van Jaarsveld using Phestus Version 2.1 (13 May 2010). "Africa Photographic Awards, Digital, Photograph, Nature, Competition, Prize, Upload, Win, Nikon". africaphotographicawards. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Philip Gould:When I die". Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "AdrianSteirn". Adriansteirn.everard-read-capetown.co.za. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  8. ↑ "WHO'S YOUR 21ST CENTURY ICON? NIKON PARTNERS WITH THE 21 ICONS GLOBAL PROJECT TO CELEBRATE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE ENRICHED THE WORLD". iamnikon.com. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  9. ↑ http://www.iol.co.za/news/special-features/nelson-mandela/mandela-photo-fetches-r2m-at-auction-1.1616206#.Uspg57TYBbc
  10. ↑ Journey to Democracy, 21 icons, Retrieved 9 November 2015
  11. ↑ Promise of Freedom, 21 icons, Retrieved 9 November 2015
  12. ↑ Together We Are Better
  13. ↑ "Amazon Adventure". http://www.wwf.org.uk/. Retrieved 25 March 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  14. ↑ "Big Cat Summit". http://ideacampaign.org/. Retrieved 25 March 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  15. ↑ "21 Icons". http://www.moadjhb.com/. Retrieved 25 March 2015. External link in |website= (help)

External links

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