Al Palmer (b. 1984, Gateshead, UK) is a photographer, zine maker and book designer working in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Most of his work deals with world building, lost messages, and the man-made landscape. He primarily works in the zine format under the umbrella of [black•snow], however has also heavily exhibited prints in galleries worldwide. In 2013 he founded Brown Owl Press, a small press publishing house focusing on photobooks and zines. He owns too many records and drinks too much coffee.
Exhibitions Boiling Point, Photomafia Studios, Northampton, UK, 2025
Contrary To, Lot Projects, London, UK, 2023 Encontros da Imagem, Arquivo Janes, Braga, Portugal, 2022 Full House, Localhost.Gallery, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, 2020 Alarum, Soft Power Platform, Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany, 2019 Environment Documenta, Millepiani Gallery, Milan, Italy, 2019 Wintertide, Hartlepool Art Gallery, Hartlepool, UK, 2018 Flash Forward, Ryerson Image Centre, Toronto, Canada, 2017 Ain't Bad, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia, USA, 2016 Lungs, Independent, Sunderland, UK, 2016 HOME, Old Market, Brighton, UK, 2016 Beauty Where You Find It, LightBox Gallery, Astoria, Oregon, USA, 2015 Of The Afternoon, Doomed Gallery, London, UK, 2015 Never Fuck Up, various locations, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 2015 The Heart Grows Fonder, 68MS, Brighton, UK, 2014 Encontros da Imagem, Arquivo Janes, Braga, Portugal, 2014 Thesaurus, Dossier Outpost Gallery, New York, USA, 2014 Photoaxis, Polson, Montana, USA, 2014 Unfolding Images, Contemporary Arts Centre, New Orleans, USA. 2013 Lyrical Artwork, White Cloth Gallery, Leeds, UK, 2013 Hearst 8x10, Alexey Brodovitch Gallery, Hearst Tower, New York, USA, 2013 Film Por Vida, Peanut Gallery, Chicago, USA, 2013 From the Edge, Visual Aids, New York, USA, 2013 ACAVA, Gatehouse Arts, Harlow, UK, 2012 Slide Project(or), The Bernard Shaw, PhotoIreland Festival, Dublin, Ireland, 2012 Unfiltered, Filter Photo Festival, Chicago, USA, 2012 Sunderland Art Prize, Departure Gallery, Sunderland, UK, 2012 The Space Between, The Cluny Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, 2012 The Photocopy Club, Beach, London, UK, 2012 Mull It Over, Artist Residence Gallery, Brighton, UK, 2012 Earth:Now:Being, Church Farm Ardeley, Stevenage/Hackney City Farm, London, UK, 2011 Utopian Arts Fest, Parlour Gallery, London, UK, 2011 Open All Hours, The Hive, Manchester, UK, 2010 Daylight/CDS Shorts, Golden Belt, Durham, North Carolina, USA, 2010 Something Beautiful, Michaelhouse Centre, Cambridge, UK, 2010 Short Spring (Light Night), EggSpace, Liverpool, UK, 2010 100sqft, Boleyn's, London, UK, 2009 Crepuscule, Ye Cracke, Liverpool, UK, 2009 Everyday Photography & Video, Temporary Arts Space, Halifax, UK, 2009 Dirty Mother, Nexus Arts, Manchester, UK, 2008 Blank Expression, Zion Arts Centre, Hulme, UK, 2007
Publications Colour Field: Misfortune, Brown Owl Press, 2024
Arkive Yellow, Brown Owl Press, 2024 LXXX AXX RXXXXXX, [black snow], 2023 System of Edges, [black snow], 2022 Framework Vol II, Brown Owl Press, 2022 Blazetha, [black snow], 2022 Explosion Season, [black snow], 2022 Blind, Brown Owl Press, 2021 Crawling the Walls, [black snow], 2020 Framework Vol I, Brown Owl Press, 2019 No Fun, Match Books, 2018 Fr/Kr, Brown Owl Press, 2016 Flood of Sunshine, Brown Owl Press, 2013
Press
Boiling Point, Unreality Phase
Goldenrod II, A Walk in the Woods
Average Art, #30, The Edge of Industry
Lungs Magazine, #1, I Believe (In None of This)
Fraction Magazine, #81, Soliloquy
SoSo, #2, Gutter, The Coastal Project
Ain't Bad, Vol. 3 #1, I Believe (In None of This)
Fraction Magazine, #62, Soliloquy
Lenscratch, Backyard
Park, Issue #4, The Edge of Industry
Field Trip Magazine #1, Soliloquy
Something Beautiful, Isn't Anywhere
Fatzine, Issue #3, Isn't Anywhere
Things Magazine, Isn't Anywhere
20x20, Issue #1, Anonymous Spaces
Fellowships, Grants, Awards and Prizes
Magenta Foundation: Flash Forward, Winner, 2017
Hearst 8x10, Winner, 2013
Sunderland Art Prize, Finalist, 2012
Collections
Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, USA
Gatehouse Archive, UK
E. Gore Collection, Maryland, USA
Private collections, UK
Artist Talks and Lectures
Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, UK
Lens Think Yorkshire, York, UK
Phoenix Gallery, Brighton, UK
White Cloth Gallery, Leeds, UK
Curated
The Space Between, The Cluny Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 2012