BIOGRAPHY OF ILAN GODFREY
Through long-term documentary practice, I explore how histories become embedded within landscapes, architecture and the communities that inhabit them.
Ilan Godfrey is a South African documentary photographer whose work explores the relationship between people and the landscapes they inhabit. Through long-term photographic projects, he examines how histories of extraction, migration, conflict and belonging become embedded within the land, the built environment and the communities that call these places home. His work seeks to reveal not only the visible consequences of political, social and environmental change, but also the quieter ways in which memory, identity and belonging are carried through everyday life.
Grounded in extensive research and sustained engagement with the people he photographs, Ilan's practice combines documentary photography with investigative storytelling to produce layered visual narratives that encourage reflection rather than prescription. Whether documenting mining communities, indigenous leadership, migration, environmental change or the legacy of violence, his photographs are united by a deep interest in dignity, place and the enduring relationship between people and their surroundings.
After working between Johannesburg and London for more than a decade, Ilan returned to South Africa in 2011 to focus on long-term documentary projects. This led to the creation of Legacy of the Mine, an extensive body of work examining the social, environmental and human consequences of South Africa's mining industry. The project received the Ernest Cole Award in 2012 and was published by Jacana Media as his first monograph in 2013, accompanied by solo exhibitions across South Africa.
In 2016, with the support of the Open Society Foundation for South Africa, he produced The Platinum Belt, an in-depth exploration of the world's largest platinum-producing region. Combining photography, sound, writing and digital mapping, the project expanded his continuing investigation into the relationship between extractive industries, landscape and community.
Today, Ilan continues to document the social, political, economic and environmental forces shaping contemporary Africa, working on long-term personal projects alongside editorial assignments for leading international publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, ZEIT Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Guardian Weekend and Financial Times Magazine.
His work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including the National Portrait Gallery, London; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Wits Art Museum, Johannesburg; Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Paris; Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg; and the Völklinger Hütte World Heritage Site, Germany. His photographs are held in public and private collections worldwide.
Alongside his editorial practice, Ilan collaborates with international organisations and institutions, producing work in more than fifty countries for clients including CARE International, the Gates Foundation, the Mastercard Foundation, Barclays, Visa, the Toyota Mobility Foundation and GSK.
He is the founder of IDG Creatives, a multidisciplinary visual storytelling studio dedicated to thoughtful documentary, editorial and commercial storytelling across print, digital and exhibition platforms.
Ilan holds a BA (Hons) in Photography and an MA in Photojournalism from the University of Westminster in London, where he was awarded the David Faddy Scholarship.
EDUCATION 2002-2007
Master of Arts degree, Photojournalism, The University of Westminster, London, UK
Bachelor of Arts (hons) degree, Photography, The University of Westminster, London, UK
BOOKS
Legacy of the Mine
Publisher: Jacana Media
First Published: 2013
Hardcover: 160 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-4314-0861-0
Texts by Ilan Godfrey and Sakhela Buhlungu
CLIENTS
EDITORIAL / NGO
WIRED Magazine, Le Monde.fr, The New Yorker, Wallpaper Magazine, Cityzine Magazine, NZZ Newspaper, ZEIT Magazine, M Le magazine du Monde, GQ Magazine, Amandla Magazine, COLORS Magazine, Financial Times Magazine, Guardian Weekend Magazine, Jeune Afrique Magazine, Ojodepez Magazine, The New Statesman Magazine, The Sunday Time’s Magazine, The Economist - Intelligent Life Magazine, GOOD Inc, INK Global, CARE International, Open Society Foundation U.S and S.A, ActionAid, Save the Children, ONE, RLABS, NRC Media, Monocle Magazine, FOCUS Magazine, OSISA, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
COMMERCIAL
Discovery Channel, VISA Card, Barclays Bank, Pfizer, Toyota Mobility Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline, Thompsons Travel, Entersekt, GIO - Global Intelligence, Huhtamaki, The Mastercard Foundation, Experian, LUMIX Panasonic, EOH
AWARDS
CORONA CALL – Photography from Africa and Europe Award
WINNER/TOP TEN ENTRIES - 2020
FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Award
NOMINATED - 2016
Gabriele Basilico Prize in Architecture and Landscape Photography
NOMINATED - 2015
WINNER - 2014
Prix Pictet Environmental PhotographyAward
NOMINATED - 2013
Openphoto Award
WINNER - 2012
The International Photography Award
HONORABLE MENTION - 2012
Prix Pictet Environmental Photography Award
NOMINATED - 2010
TPW Focus on Monferrato Masterclass in Italy
PARTICIPANT - 2008
Magenta Flash Forward Award
WINNER - 2008
SHORTLISTED - 2020
Open Society Foundation for South Africa Grant
GRANT - 2016
Prix Pictet Environmental Photography
Award
NOMINATED - 2015
FINALIST - 2014
World Press Photo Masterclass
NOMINATED - 2011
The International Photography Award
HONORABLE MENTION - 2009
Magenta Flash Forward Award
WINNER - 2008
Westphoto Award
WINNER- 2007
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Community House
Cape Town, South Africa
25 YEAR MOVING WALLS, COMMEMORATIVE ART EXHIBITION - OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION
THE PLATINUM BELT - 2018
CTSP Gallery
Cape Town, South Africa
THE PLATINUM BELT - 2017
Irma Stern Museum
Cape Town, South Africa
LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2013
Wits Art Museum
Johannesburg, South Africa
LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2013
Hounslow Civic Centre
London, England
ANTI - EXTREMISM - 2010
Everard Read Gallery
Johannesburg, South Africa
MESH PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES
THE PLATINUM BELT + LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2018
Renewable Energy Festival Cape Town, South Africa
WORKING THE BLACK SEAM - 2014
KZNSA Gallery
Durban, South Africa
LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2013
Cape Town Convention Centre Cape Town, South Africa
LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2012
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
#ICPCONCERNED: Global Images for a Global Crisis
International Center of Photography
New York, NY
IN TIMES OF A PANDEMIC - 2020
CORONA CALL – Photography from Africa and Europe
FAHRBEREITSCHAFT Berlin-Lichtenberg
TOGETHERNESS IS TEMPORARY - 2020
London Gallery West
London, England
25 - 2015
International Women's Forum Johannesburg, South Africa
LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2015
Festival Internacional de Fotografia Cabo Verde
Mindelo, Cape Verde
POPCAP '14 - LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2014
Cape Town Month of Photography
Cape Town, South Africa
POPCAP '14 - LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2014
Image Afrique
Basel, Switzerland
POPCAP '14 - LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2014
Wits Art Museum
Johannesburg, South Africa
NGEZINYAWO - MIGRANT JOURNEYS - 2014
Wits Art Museum
Johannesburg, South Africa
UMHLABA 100 YEARS - 2013
Iziko South African National Gallery
Cape Town, South Africa
UMHLABA 100 YEARS - 2013
The Lovell Gallery
Cape Town, South Africa
NOBLE PHOTO AUCTION, SOUTH AFRICAN CENTRE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY - 2012
Biografica
Mumbai, India
UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER ALUMNI EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS - 2009
Laing Art Gallery
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
TAYLOR WESSING PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE - 2009
The National Portrait Gallery
London, UK
THE TAYLOR WESSING PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE - 2008
The Getty Gallery
London, UK
THE IAN PARRY AWARD - 2008
TRANSIENT SPACES
Wyteproject Gallery
Abeokuta, Nigeria
IN TIMES OF A PANDEMIC - 2020
Afrika_Im Blick der Fotografen Völklinger Hütte World Heritage Site
Völklingen, Germany
LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2020
South African Jewish Museum
Cape Town, South Africa
RESONANCE & WONDER - 2015
Addis Foto Festival
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
POPCAP '14 - LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2014
European Month of Photography Vienna, Austria
POPCAP '14 - LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2014
Lagos Photo Festival
Lagos, Nigeria
POPCAP '14 - LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2014
Photo Ireland Festival
Dublin, Ireland
POPCAP '14 - LEGACY OF THE MINE - 2014
Iziko South African National Gallery
Cape Town, South Africa
UMHLABA 100 YEARS - 2013
Stephan Welz & Co
Cape Town, South Africa
NOBLE PHOTO AUCTION, SOUTH AFRICAN CENTRE OF PHOTOGRAPHY - 2013
South Africa Jewish Museum
Cape Town, South Africa
ROOTS EN ROUTE - 2012
PhotoEspana
Madrid, Spain
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL ARTS - 2010
Musee du Quai Branly
Paris, France
PHOTOQUAI BIENNIAL - 2009
European Month of Photography
Vienna, Austria
FOOD FOR YOUR EYES - 2008
Food For Your Eyes
Paris, France
A PHOTO GROUP SLIDESHOW, VOL 05 - 2008
Hereford College of Arts
Hereford, UK
HEREFORD PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL - 2008
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Open Society Foundation - OSF Cape Town
University of Cape Town Art Collection
The Vineyard Hotel
Open Society Foundation - OSF New York
Gallery F
BOOKS/CATALOGUES
#ICP Concerned: Global Image for Global Crisis, Campany, David - 2021
Portrait of Humanity, Hoxton Mini Press - 2020
DIRTY POWER, Mining and Extractives programme of ActionAid SA - 2014
A LONG WAY HOME, Migrant Worker Worlds 1800 - 2014
Flash Forward Tenth, Magenta Foundation Publishing, Canada - 2014
EPILOGUE, The Australian Photojournalist, Australia - 2011
Flash Forward, Magenta Foundation Publishing, Canada - 2009
Flash Forward, Magenta Foundation Publishing, Canada - 2008
Flash Forward, Magenta Foundation Publishing, Canada - 2007
LECTURES & ARTIST VISITS
Michaelis School of Fine Art, External Examiner, Cape Town, South Africa
TEDx Mahikeng, Speaker, Pathways, Mahikeng, North West, South Africa
Everard Read Gallery, Mesh Photography Series, Speaker, Johannesburg, South Africa
International Women’s Forum, Speaker, Johannesburg, South Africa
Joburg Photo Harare Masterclass, Mentor, Johannesburg, South Africa
Image Afrique, Speaker, Basel, Switzerland
Wits Art Museum, Speaker, Johannesburg, South Africa
Cape Town Month of Photography, Speaker, Cape Town, South Africa
The Edward Ruiz Mentorship, Mentor, Johannesburg, South Africa
Market Photo Workshop, Mentor/Examiner/Critique, Johannesburg, South Africa
Cape Town School of Photography, Visiting Lecturer/Examiner, Cape Town, South Africa
University of Westminster, Visiting Lecturer, Professional Futures, London, UK
Barnet College, Visiting Lecturer, ND Photography, London, UK
Corpus Christi College, Visiting Lecturer, The Oxford Prep Experience, Oxford, UK
PRESS, PUBLICATIONS, INTERVIEWS, FEATURES
Whynow_Far-Flung, Legacy of the Mine, March, 2021, Clifford, Eva
e-flux architecture, Bad Earth, September, 2020, hecht, Gabrielle and le Roux, Hannah
Christianity Today, ‘TESTIMONY – What the Heavens Declared to a Young Astronomer’, March, 2021, Block, David
The Times, ‘Our Women in Africa: the British ambassadors changing the face of diplomacy’, Lamb, Christina, September, 2019
Focus Magazine, 'Generation Hoffnung', Peters, Harald, September, 2019
Neue Zũrcher Zeitung, ‘Foto-Tableau: Das Erbe der Mine, Schader, Angela and Steinmann, Gilles, September, 2018
LENSCRATCH, South Africa Week – The Platinum belt, Kirkwood, Meghan, July, 2018
M Le Magazine Du Monde, Chapelle ardente, April, 2018
ZEIT Magazine, Lernen wie die reichen Kinder, Von Linda, Tutmann, January, 2018
WINGS Magazine, kap cool, Hahn, Marten, September, 2017
FOCUS Magazine, Hier sitzt die Zukunft Südafrikas, Milhan, Kirsten, July, 2017
GOOD Inc, Below The Surface, de Greef, Kimon, December, 2016
Le Monde.fr, Mine De Titane, Hervieu, Sébastien, July, 2016
WIRED Magazine, Africa Offline, Macdougall, Clair, November 2016
The New Yorker, Digging for Glory, Williams, Paige, June, 2016
Neue Zũrcher Zeitung, ‘Foto-Tableau: Von Minen und Menschen’, September, 2014
Slate, The Human Cost of South Africa's Mining Industry, Teicher, Jordan G, September, 2014
Leica Fotografie International, Special Edition, ‘Legacy of the Mine’, March, 2014
Afrique In Visu, ‘Legacy of the Mine’, Preston, Sarah, September, 2014
CityZine Magazine, ‘Legacy of the Mine’, Jiang, Yanmei, 2014
iGroove Radio, ‘Legacy of the Mine’, interview on winning Popcap ’14, Bola Browne, Raymond, November, 2014
Zeit Magazin, ‘Mein revolutionäres Jahr’, Musharbash, Yassin, July, 2014
Wallpaper Magazine*, ‘Sheltering Skies’, Arlidge, John, January, 2014
Fotografia Magazine, ‘Hidden Downsides to South Africa’s Mining Industry’, July, 2014
The Culture Trip, ‘Photographing the Depths of South Africa’, 2014
About Photography, IL LASCITO DELLA MINIERA, 2014
Guardian Weekend Magazine, ‘Pictures of the week: Legacy of the Mine’, December, 2013
POWER FM, ‘Legacy of the Mine’, book review and radio interview, Mosaka, Azania, November, 2013
SAfm BASA Create, ‘Legacy of the Mine’, book review and radio interview, Stander, Monique, November, 2013
Aperture, ‘Dispatches – Photography Scenes Worldwide’, O’Toole, Sean, Summer, 2013
Sunday Times, ‘Mining’s legacy of scars’, Price, Max and Weinberg, Paul, September, 2013
FT Weekend Magazine, ‘Desmond Tutu’, September, 2013
L’Oeil de la Photographie, ‘Ilan Godfrey: Legacy of the Mine’, October, 2013
Weekend Witness, ‘Scars on the land and on its people, Arts Editor, September, 2013
Between 10 and 5, ‘Legacy of the Mine’, September, 2013
FT Weekend Magazine, ‘A Life In The Sun’, Kuper, Simon, March, 2013
Wallpaper Magazine*, ‘GUSTO’, January, 2013
FMR Book Choice, ‘Mining history investigated’, book review and radio interview, Todres, Philip, 2013
The Mercury, ‘Varied, glossy art in a snap’, Meijer, Marianne, October, 2013
Selamta Magazine, ‘Thinking Inside the Box’, Findlay, Stephanie, September/October, 2013
FT Weekend Magazine, ‘Home Comforts’, England, Andrew, 2013
Cape Times, ‘Underground narrative is brought to the surface’, August, 2013
The Independent on Saturday, ‘Capturing the effects of mining on land and people’, Cele, Portia, October, 2013
FT Weekend Magazine, 'The end of colonial nostalgia', Kuper, Simon, March, 2013
Amandla!, ‘Our wealth our poison’, Amandla! Correspondents, September, 2012
Wallpaper Magazine*, ‘Bay Watch’, Wu, Daven, May, 2012
Daily Maverick, ‘OPENPhoto Award’, May, 2012
Conscientious, ‘Sanctuary of Exile’, Colberg, Jörg, 2012
Mail & Guardian, ‘Photographing the seam of suffering’, Singer, Michal, 2012
Wallpaper Magazine*, ‘Jambo Jets’, Arlidge, John, December, 2012
GUP Magazine, ‘Legacy of the Mine’, 2012
Peanut Butter Thoughts, ‘The Harvest’, 2012
EPILOGUE, ‘Living With Crime’, Vol 16 No 1, Joshua, Phillip, 2011
FADER, ‘Tight Knit Tribe’, #73, Apr/May, 2011
COLORS, ‘With Love’, December, 2011
Wallpaper Magazine*, ‘RSA’, Compton, Nick, November, 2011
Jeune Afrique, ‘Pépinière d’élite’, England, Andrew, October, 2011
The Financial Times, ‘Leadership lessons in Africa’, England, Andrew, September, 2011
PORTFOLIO, ‘Urban Democracy in South Africa’, #51, Bate, David, May, 2010
PRIVATE, ‘Remade’, #48, Spring, 2010
FADER, ‘Gold Panda-Composing for a life less ordinary’, #70, Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo, October, 2010
MANA, ‘Att Leva Med Kriminalitet’, #2, 2010
FADER, ‘Out of Print’, #69, Nnadi, Chioma, Aug/Sept, 2010
OjodePez, ‘Living With Crime’, #21, March, 2010
Verbal, ‘Ilan Godfrey - Living with Crime’, interview by Daniel Cuthbert, January, 2010
British Journal of Photography, ‘Photojournalism: Wait. Worry. Who Cares?’, Laurent, Olivier, 2010
FADER, ‘Ikonika’ April, 2010
FT Weekend Magazine, ‘Living With Crime’, March, 2010
Pdfx12/photo documentary, ‘Ilan Godfrey - Living with Crime’, Goto, Yumi, 2009
FOTO8, ‘Living with Crime’, Heinz, Lauren, 2009
FLUX Magazine, ‘Panarama Place’, #64, July, 2008
Taylor Wessing 08, ‘Living With Crime’, Okri, Ben, November, 2008
FOTO8, ‘Half Way House’, Lane, Guy, Autumn, 2008