Oscar-Winning Cinematographer Roger Deakins Brings Photography Exhibition to Chicago

Chicago’s not-for-profit Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture proudly welcomes legendary Academy Award®-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins and his longtime collaborator/wife James Deakins (aka ‘Team Deakins’) to open the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition, showcasing a ‘cinematographer’s travelogue’ of still images shot by Deakins throughout his decades-long career. Encompassing the same construct of light and dark that is a signature of Deakins’ visual storytelling (exemplified by film classics such as Shawshank Redemption, No Country for Old Men, Fargo, and The Man who Wasn’t There), the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition is an expansive, curated selection of 41 portraits and landscapes from Deakins’ personal collection.

Spanning five decades, 1971 to present, the works are both from Deakins’ first-ever photography monograph – the critically acclaimed BYWAYS (Damiani Books, 2021) – in addition to many images previously unpublished.

‘Team Deakins’ will take part in a series of film screenings, conversations and BYWAYS book signings October 17-20, 2024, to officially open the exhibition at the Athenaeum Center’s Paradiso Gallery, 2936 N. Southport Avenue, where it will remain on view through April 30,
2025.

‘Team Deakins’ in Chicago Film and photography fans alike are invited to join Roger and James Deakins at the Athenaeum Center for a rare series of public events launching the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition:

● Thursday, October 17, 7-9:30pm
Film Screening & Conversation: The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001): Film screening preceded by a conversation between ‘Team Deakins’ and New York Times columnist and the host of the Athenaeum Center’s Film & Culture Series, Ross Douthat. The Man Who Wasn’t There, directed by the Coen Brothers, is a neo-noir tale set in 1949 California, following the quiet, unassuming barber Ed Crane, who becomes entangled in a web of deceit and murder. Ed, played by Billy Bob Thornton, sees an opportunity to change his mundane life when he becomes involved in a blackmail scheme, but his plans spiral out of control as he grapples with the consequences of his actions. With its atmospheric cinematography, sharp dialogue, and unexpected twists, the film explores themes of identity, fate, and the consequences of ambition in a world where reality is as elusive as the shadows it casts. Tickets: 15.00 ($12.00 for students) now available.

Enjoy the trailer for this iconic film…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz6xJ0knTT4

● Friday, October 18, 7-9pm
Public Exhibition Opening: Complimentary admission but advance tickets are required. Space is limited; please click here to register.

● Sunday, October 20, 2-5pm
Film Screening & Conversation: 30th Anniversary of Shawshank Redemption (1994): Film screening preceded by a conversation between ‘Team Deakins’ and Richard Roeper, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and ABC-7.

Shawshank Redemption, based on a story by Stephen King, tells the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. Over the course of his lengthy imprisonment, Dufresne forges allies within the prison, in particular “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman) and Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore). His background in accounting as a bank employee leads to his being chosen to assist corrupt Warden Norton (Bob Gunton) and many of the prison guards with their financial needs and earns him privileges that enable him to make plans for a life outside Shawshank’s concrete walls. Perhaps Deakins’ most widely known film, this year marking its 30th Anniversary, Shawshank frequently appears on lists of the best movies ever made. Tickets: 15.00 ($12.00 for students).

Here is the trailer for this Oscar winner…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLl99DlL6b4

● VIP Meet & Greet Experiences
In advance of each film screening – Thursday, October 17 from 4:30-6:30pm, and Sunday, October 20, from 11:30am-1:30pm – will be the opportunity for a separately ticketed, unique VIP experience including a meet & greet with Roger and James Deakins, a signed copy of the BYWAYS hardback edition, and ticket for that day’s screening & conversation. Tickets: $75.00 for each date.

To purchase individual tickets for the two film screenings and the VIP BYWAYS book signing
experience, or for more information on the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition and its public
opening event Oct. 18, please click right here.

Deakins has said that BYWAYS is the product of his lifelong fascination with photography. As he revealed in the A Rabbit’s Foot culture platform, “I was unhappy [at art school] until I started taking photographs… I think it must have been a really cheap camera—a Praktica. The lens was plastic. But it did what I needed it to do and helped me discover what I wanted to concentrate on—which would then become cinematography. I spend a lot of my time trying to take street photographs, and with that you need to spend a lot of time just wandering around until something catches your eye.”

The works on view capture Deakins’ travel from the United Kingdom to Berlin, from Oslo to Albuquerque, New Mexico. The prints range in size from 12” x 18” to 20” x 30” and all are available for purchase, either unframed or professionally matted and framed. Copies of BYWAYS will also be
available for sale both on site and online by clicking right here.

In addition to the opening week programming, the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition will be open for viewing on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12-4pm, or by appointment.

“The Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition exemplifies the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture’s mission: to bring people together over what is good, true, and beautiful,” said Athenaeum Center Executive Director Lawrence Daufenbach. “Roger’s images invite you to contemplate everyday moments that in a fast paced society are often overlooked. We hope everyone in the community can find a time to encounter this remarkable work.”

“Photography is an excuse to spend many hours just walking, my camera over my shoulder and with no particular purpose but to observe. The days I return with an image I’m happy with maybe few, but they bring great satisfaction,” added Deakins.

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