Beauty & Truth portraits at RHS Chelsea
Ex-lawyer, turned banker, medical tech entrepreneur, actor, film maker and photographer, Chaz Oldham, has lived many lives and these combined life experiences have led him to the hallowed grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea where he will present a beautiful photographic exhibition and film installation at the famous flower show.
A photographic exhibition at RHS Chelsea Flower Show is rare but Beauty&Truth: Healing Green, ties in beautifully and should resonate with anyone who loves nature, the great outdoors and gains a sense of wellbeing or healing from trees, plants and gardens.
Over the last nine months, Chaz has traversed the country to photograph the famous – and not so famous – of the gardening world, all of whom have one thing in common: an experience of or a belief in the healing power of all things green!
Arising out of Chaz’s personal experience of depression and being healed through gardening – specifically trees – the exhibition is his desire to celebrate those who have helped him on that journey whether they knew it or not.
In recent years the healing power of all things green has risen up the media agenda to such an extent that the restorative power of horticulture is, rightly, accepted as fact. Chaz is convinced that this would not be the case were it not for the legion of gardeners out there who have quietly been banging their green drum for years. For example, in 2010 Chris Beardshaw, was already talking about recovery rates in hospitals being improved by simply having a green view, while Monty Don talked movingly about how the simple act of sinking his fingers into warm soil helped him tackle depression.
In Beauty&Truth Chaz has adhered to the Peter Lindbergh maxim in that true beauty can only come from truth, so in Healing Green the resulting portraits are more raw and honest reflecting the true beauty of the sitters.
Soane House in Ranelagh Gardens at the heart of the Chelsea Showground will be converted into a mini-gallery for the duration of the show to host a rotation of portraits from the series. Visitors will find the exhibition at AR597 in Ranelagh Gardens just north of the bandstand.