Turner Prize and Oscar-winning artist-filmmaker Steve McQueen (b. 1969) curates Resistance, an exhibition opening at Turner Contemporary, Margate. It is dedicated to acts of protest and the role of photography in documenting and driving change in Britain over the past 100 years. This is a mission McQueen describes as “especially urgent in today’s political climate,” in line with his longstanding dedication to foregrounding underrepresented and often-overlooked voices.
Resistance spans from the radical suffrage movement in 1903 through to the Anti-Iraq War Protest in 2003, which was the largest in Britain’s history. Other key moments covered include the Battle of Cable Street, the Black People’s Day of Action, Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp and the Miners’ Strike; as well as demonstrations against environmental destruction and the fight for LGBTQIA+ and disability rights.
There’s a deliberate focus on events that occurred before widespread digital photography; the images are instead taken from press reportage, surveillance cameras and other archival materials. Featured photographers include Andrew Testa, Christine Spengler, Edith Tudor-Hart, Fay Godwin, Henry Grant, Humphrey Spender, Janine Wiedel, Paul Trevor, Tish Murtha and Vanley Burke alongside lesser-known artists who also documented these powerful stories. As co-curator Clarrie Wallis explains, these images “reframe conventional narratives of British history, prompting viewers to reconsider our shared past.”
This is a landmark body of work and a feat of curation. What’s most remarkable is the power of protest photographs when displayed together. The show, and its accompanying publication, brims with human passion and resilience, depicting huge crowds, placards and people marching hand-in-hand. It can be sobering at times; depictions of hunger strikes, arrests and police violence are included, as are written accounts of discrimination and hard-fought battles. But these stories need to be heard. Resistance is an outstanding reminder of our capacity to stand up to injustice, and the enduring power of collective action.
This exhibition demonstrates how much people can achieve when they are united. It is an inspirational project that serves a bastion of hope and bravery in dark times. From a historical perspective, Resistance is an essential record; it gives pioneering figures and key events the recognition they deserve. These are the moments that have formed Britain as we know it today. More than that, it encourages viewers to think about what matters to them, and how they might come together and affect change in future.
Resistance is at Turner Contemporary, Margate, from 22 February – 1 June.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a major publication Resistance, compiled by Steve McQueen and edited by Clarrie Wallis with Sarah Harrison. The book includes contributions from influential voices including Gary Younge, Steve McQueen, Paul Gilroy, and Baroness Chakrabarti.
Image Credits:
1. Paul Trevor, Anti-racists gather to block route of National Front demonstration, New Cross Road, London, August 1977. © Paul Trevor.
2. Pam Isherwood, Stop Clause 28 march, Whitehall, London, 9 January 1988 © Bishopsgate Institute.
3. Chris Miles, Notting Hill Carnival, London, 1974. © Chris Miles
