Born in 1980 in England, Frank Callaghan spent his childhood in Baguio, Philippines. After studying finance and management at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, USA, he decided to pursue photography full-time; he has held solo and group exhibitions in the Philippines and the region.Saturated with colour and awash in the unnatural glow of electrical lighting, ‘501’ is one of a number of night-time images of shanty towns and low-cost housing in Manila. The photographs are frank portrayals of the city’s prevalent poverty. However, elements of make-shift construction, overcrowding and poor sanitation – so ugly under the glare of the daytime sun – take on an uncanny beauty and otherworldly aesthetic through Callaghan’s lens. In a city infamous for its bustle, crowds and thronging noise, Callaghan has sought, in his own words, to capture its “unintentional beauty”, a beauty revealed in such rare moments of stillness and quiet.
