Sign language

I stumbled across this via Twitter yesterday.

'Smoke' is (or was) a "nomadic and unfinished exhibition" by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hornback.

"I do not smoke, but a cigarette in someone's mouth is a sign of pleasure and it is always nice to capture that moment," he said.

I find that sentiment rather refreshing.

Hornback's work - exhibited in Bilbao in 2017 – reminded me of a similar collection by our own Dan Donovan.

Shortly before the introduction of the smoking ban in England in 2007 Dan created a gallery of photographs he called '90 Smokers'.

Like Hornback's collection it featured people – like the lady below – who enjoyed smoking and weren't afraid to show it.

Discussing, or depicting, the pleasure of smoking is increasingly taboo these days so anything that challenges the modern orthodoxy is very welcome.

Perhaps we should consider a similar exhibition in the UK.