Sean O'Hagan
Sean O'Hagan writes about photography for the Guardian and the Observer and is also a general feature writer. He was named interviewer of the year in the British press awards in 2003 for his profiles of footballer Roy Keane and musician Brian Wilson, among others. He is the winner of the 2011 J Dudley Johnston award from the Royal Photographic Society "for major achievement in the field of photographic criticism" for his writing in the Observer and the Guardian
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Mark E Smith: an autodidact fired by a singular visionSean O’Hagan twice interviewed the Fall frontman, Mark E Smith, who died last week. Here he recalls a true outsider: unpredictable, entertaining… a scabrous post-punk voice -
'Praise the lord and pass the rattlesnakes': the pastor killed by the viper he preached withMack Wolford coiled venomous snakes round the arms and necks of his congregation. One, called Old Yeller, killed him. Photographer Lauren Pond relives how she captured the tragedy -
Andreas Gursky review – godlike visions from the great chronicler of our ageHayward Gallery, London
From raves to road trips, from the icecaps to the trading floor, from Amazon to the Rhine, these breathtaking panoramas take aim at globalism – and reinvent the very notion of photography -
OUT: LGBTQ Poland by Maciek Nabrdalik review – Poles apartA book of portraits and testimonies from Poland’s LGBTQ community speaks volumes about entrenched rightwing zealotry and intolerance
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Why Dylan Matters by Richard F Thomas review – Virgil, Homer, Ovid… Dylan?An academic’s attempt to shoehorn Dylan into the pantheon of literary greats misunderstands the singer’s appeal -
Sean O’Hagan’s best photography books of 2017Studies of social tensions in the UK and US, rural Sweden by night and mafia countryside in Sicily were among the most striking collections of the year -
The top 10 photography exhibitions of 2017The refugee crisis became a sci-fi dystopia, a handful of dust took us to the moon and back, a Polish pioneer had suggestive fun with hot dogs and love returned to the Left Bank. Our critic picks his 2017 highlights
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Chaotic capitalism: the human sculptures of Nigeria's sprawling Balogun marketIt is one of the biggest street markets in the world, a sprawling, dazzling city within a city that is frequented by tens of thousands of people every day. Photographer Lorenzo Vitturi reveals how he captured Balogun’s vivid drama for his book, Money Must Be Made
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Amber Rowlands obituaryOther lives: Photographer whose work appeared in the Observer, the Telegraph and Le Monde -
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Wim Wenders on his Polaroids – and why photography is now overVigils for John Lennon, road trips with Annie Leibovitz, portraits of Dennis Hopper … Wim Wenders took thousands of Polaroids while making his classic films. He shares the stories behind them
The Pixels of Paul Cézanne by Wim Wenders review – director as (generous) critic…