Tate Britain is set to host “The 80s: Photographing Britain,” a landmark exhibition that delves into the transformative decade of the 1980s through the lens of photography. The exhibition, the largest of its kind to date, will feature nearly 350 images and archival materials, capturing the era’s profound social, political, and economic changes.
Spanning the entire UK, this comprehensive survey will showcase the work of over 70 lens-based artists and collectives, ranging from renowned names to emerging talents whose contributions are gaining recognition. The exhibition aims to highlight how photographers of the 1980s used their craft as a tool for social representation, cultural celebration, and artistic expression.
Among the featured photographers are Maud Sulter, Mumtaz Karimjee, and Mitra Tabrizian, whose works reflect the decade’s diverse and dynamic photographic practices. The exhibition will include various images, from John Davies’ post-industrial Welsh landscapes to Tish Murtha’s poignant portraits of youth unemployment in Newcastle. These works underscore the technical advancements in colour photography, the influence of cultural theorists like Stuart Hall and Victor Burgin, and significant publications such as Ten.8 and Camerawork, spurring new debates about photography.
“The 80s” will vividly portray Thatcher’s Britain, illustrating the decade’s tumultuous political landscape through powerful documentary photography. Visitors can expect striking images of the miners’ strikes by John Harris and Brenda Prince, anti-racism demonstrations by Syd Shelton and Paul Trevor, and evocative scenes from Greenham Common by Format Photographers. The exhibition will also address the Northern Ireland conflict with works by Willie Doherty and Paul Seawright.
Additionally, the exhibition will present photography that captures the changing face of Britain and its widening economic disparities. Highlights include Anna Fox’s images of corporate excess.
Paul Graham’s observations of social security offices and Martin Parr’s satirical depictions of Middle England will be displayed alongside Markéta Luskačová and Don McCullin’s portraits of London’s disappearing East End and Chris Killip’s documentation of transient ‘sea-coalers’ in Northumberland.
Thematic displays will explore how photography served as a powerful medium for representation. For photographers like Roy Mehta and Vanley Burke, who document their multicultural communities, photography becomes a voice for the people. The Handsworth Self Portrait Project (1979) by John Reardon, Derek Bishton, and Brian Homer will be featured, celebrating community expression. Black and South Asian photographers such as Roshini Kempadoo, Sutapa Biswas, and Al-An deSouza will be highlighted for overcoming marginalization and exploring diasporic identities. Artists like Joy Gregory and Maxine Walker will showcase self-portraiture that celebrates Black beauty and femininity.
Amid the backdrop of Section 28 and the AIDS epidemic, the exhibition will also address how photographers used their work to assert the presence and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community. Tessa Boffin’s subversive reimaginings of literary characters as lesbians and Sunil Gupta’s “Pretended” Family Relationships (1988) will be featured. The exhibition will spotlight photographers like Ajamu X, Lyle Ashton Harris, and Rotimi Fani-Kayode, who focus on Black queer experiences through powerful and intimate portraits. Grace Lau’s documentation of fetishist subcultures, such as “Him and Her at Home” (1986) and “Series Interiors” (1986), will also be included.
The exhibition will conclude by celebrating the countercultural movements of the 1980s. It will highlight Ingrid Pollard and Franklyn Rodgers’ energetic documentation of underground performances and club culture. The rise of i-D magazine and its influence on a new generation of photographers, including Wolfgang Tillmans and Jason Evans, will also be featured, showcasing their pioneering fashion photography inspired by the vibrant youth culture of the time.
“The 80s: Photographing Britain” promises to be a comprehensive and engaging exploration of a pivotal decade in the history of photography, offering visitors a unique lens through which to view the social and cultural transformations of the 1980s.
Artists
Keith Arnatt; Zarina Bhimji; Derek Bishton; Sutapa Biswas; Tessa Boffin; Marc Boothe; Victor Burgin; Vanley Burke; Pogus Caesar; Thomas Joshua Cooper; John Davies; Poulomi Desai; Al-An deSouza; Willie Doherty; Jason Evans; Rotimi Fani-Kayode; Anna Fox; Simon Foxton; Armet Francis; Peter Fraser; Melanie Friend; Paul Graham; Ken Grant; Joy Gregory; Sunil Gupta; John Harris; Lyle Ashton Harris; David Hoffman; Brian Homer; Colin Jones; Mumtaz Karimjee; Roshini Kempadoo; Peter Kennard; Chris Killip; Karen Knorr; Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen; Grace Lau; Dave Lewis; Markéta Luskačová; David Mansell; Jenny Matthews; Don McCullin; Roy Mehta; Peter Mitchell; Dennis Morris; Maggie Murray; Tish Murtha; Joanne O’Brien; Zak Ové; Martin Parr; Ingrid Pollard; Brenda Prince; Samena Rana; John Reardon; Paul Reas; Olivier Richon; Suzanne Roden; Franklyn Rodgers; Paul Seawright; Syd Shelton; Jem Southam; Jo Spence; John Sturrock; Maud Sulter; Homer Sykes; Mitra Tabrizian; Wolfgang Tillmans; Paul Trevor; Maxine Walker; Albert Watson; Tom Wood; Ajamu X.