February 11 – April 30, 2023
In this series of beautiful and thought-provoking photographs of children and their sleeping spaces from around the world, photographer James Mollison documents young people in different countries and circumstances. Each studio-style portrait of a child is accompanied by a detailed study of their “bedroom,” ranging from large, decorated rooms to the barest spaces set aside for sleep. The photographs and stories examine childhood, family, cultural identity, hope, doubt, comfort, and inequity.
Mollison explores universal themes and considers our commonalities and differences, addressing economic inequality and the role of possessions and shelter in our lives. Interested in rendering children within their own spaces, Mollison shares his work with potential subjects, noting the universality of curiosity. “Wherever I am, I discover that children are often enthralled to see how other children live around the world.”
Indira, 7, Kathmandu, Nepal
Risa, 15, Kyoto, Japan
Interested in human, social, and environmental subjects, photographer James Mollison (born 1973, British, active in Italy) has published five books of photography. Where Children Sleep, first published in 2010, has a new 2022 edition. Following his interest in the world of childhood, Molliston published Playground in 2015, which examines recess and considers the environments in which children learn and play. His other books are James and Other Apes, The Memory of Pablo Escobar, and The Disciples.
Molliston studied Art and Design at Oxford Brookes University, followed by studies in film and photography at the Newport School of Art and Design. Living in Italy, he worked at Benetton’s creative lab, Fabrica, was the creative editor of Colors Magazine from 2011-2014. In 2009 he won the Royal Photographic Society’s Vic Odden Award for notable achievement in the art of photography by a British photographer aged 35 or under.
Where Children Sleep: Photographs by James Mollison is organized and circulated by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions, Pasadena, California.
TEDxSF
James Mollison
Typologies
‘Where Children Sleep’:
An Intimate Portrayal
of How Children Live
About the Artist
James Mollison was born in Kenya in 1973 and grew up in England. After studying art and design at Oxford Brookes, and later film and photography at Newport School of Art and Design, he moved to Italy to work at Benetton’s creative lab, Fabrica. His work has been widely published throughout the world in Colors, The New York Times Magazine, the Guardian magazine, The Paris Review, The New Yorker, Le Monde, and elsewhere. Mollison has lived in Venice, Italy since 2003.