Photo by Martin Kantor

Description

He seemed to be always at watch, scanning the immediate environs for anything that might make for an interesting image, anything that was out of sync with 'the norm' Martin Kantor approached his photography with an emotional intensity that exhilarated those around him. Armed with intelligence, wit and curiosity, he documented the painters, musicians and other artists who emerged during the culturally frenetic eighties. Kantor saw the world in sharp focus, evident in both his photojournalism for TheAustralian, and his brilliant portraiture for such magazines as Tension and World Art. He was an adventurous creator, ranging from remaking the rules of rock'n'roll photography to mastering the depiction of contemporary artists in unconventional ways. Martin Kantor (1960-2015) left an archive of intimate images, a window into his extraordinary work and a testament to his enviable talent.

Ashley Crawford is a freelance cultural critic and arts journalist and author of a number of books on Australian art, including Transformations: The Work of Sonia Payes (Thames & Hudson) and Spray, The Work of Howard Arkley (co-author, Craftsman House). He is a regular contributor to The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, The Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Art Collector and numerous other publications. Crawford is also the former editor of Tension, World Art, 21*C and Photofile magazines. He trained as a journalist in the late 1970s and has a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. Crawford lives in Melbourne. Richard Guilliatt is a Walkley Award-winning journalist. His work has appeared in The Independent, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Age and The Australian. His books include Talk of the Devil (Text Publishing) and The Wolf (co-author, Penguin). Guilliatt is a staff writer at The Weekend Australian Magazine. He lives in Sydney.