These images are a snap shot of a larger men’s mental health crisis throughout the UK. The biggest killer of men over 50 is suicide (over three times that of women). Some of the old legacies of masculinity are toxic to good mental health and are letting us all down. We are finding ourselves increasingly ill-equipped to cope alone with the pressures of modern life and without support we can experience depression and potentially suicidal ideation. These portraits are of men attending a group that encourages peer to peer support dedicated to creating safe spaces for men to meet and talk.
Richard Ansett’s images are in permanent and private collections including the National Portrait Galleries of London and Canada, Bibliotheque Nationale de France and the Smithsonian. His images have been part of major collaborative exhibitions worldwide. His images have won the Arte Laguna Prize 2013 and Grand Prix de la Decouverte 2013 and received the gold award at Prix de la Photographie in 2011,
